A Day in the Life of Empire Records
by WriteEditLife
Summary: This is a story about a record store. But not just any record store. This is a story about a gang of misfit teenagers working at Empire Records, one of the last remaining independent record stores in existence. Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones, from Riverdale, not only get to hang out with this ragtag bunch, but they get to do so on one of the most exciting days of the year!
1. Chapter 1 - Lucas, the Night Manager

The record store had been closed for hours, the shelves had been restocked and organized, the listening rooms and walkways had been swept clean, and a clear, black night was visible out the windows and doors of the aging building. The usually chaotic store was quiet, yet there was an excited energy emitting from the manager's office in the back of the store, where two employees sat next to each other on the worn, brown couch. One was leaned forward, his black leather jacket covered elbows on his knees, dark sunglasses covering his eyes as he muttered to himself under his breath. The other was wearing a blue plaid flannel shirt, a really faded S t-shirt, and was strumming his fingers across one knee while his other hand clutched the old beanie still covering his jet-black hair.

Suddenly, the door to the office opened abruptly, the blinds clanging loudly as they moved back and forth against the window. A young blonde woman with a high ponytail, a revealing black dress, a striking silver pendant around her neck came into view. "Joe?" she called questioningly, before stopping short of entering the room as she spotted Lucas and Jughead.

"Gina," the leather jacket-clad Lucas replied, his gaze fixed on her looming appearance in the doorway. He wrapped his knuckles together to appear more calm, as he heard her address him. Jughead stayed silent and appeared to not even be listening.

"Lucas, what are you doing in here?" Gina asked, with a thick tone of judgment in her voice, as she stared at him with a pointed look.

"My life has reached its pinnacle," Lucas replied, as he sat up straight and answered her question with unquestionable confidence. He reached up with one hand and pulled off his sunglasses in one quick and well-practiced swoop, as he lowered his chin to meet her knowing gaze.

"Joe's letting me close the store tonight," he revealed quietly, a pleased smirk on his lips.

"You're kidding," Gina replied after a moment of pause, expecting another joke or sarcastic comment to follow. Her eyes darted to Jughead, as the beanie-clad boy raised his fist to cover his mouth in an attempt to hide the growing smirk on his face to turn into a full-fledged laugh.

"I am not," Lucas replied evenly, successfully conveying his honesty to the blonde in front of him. Gina looked back at Lucas, the hint of playfulness completely absent from her face. "Big responsibility Lucas," she quipped.

"Yes, but Joe's rules are extremely simple," he started quickly, before thrusting his fist out in front of him, preparing to count out the rules for her. "Count money twice. Keep my hands off of his beer, cigars, and drumsticks," Lucas finished easily.

"My, my. How will you remember it all?" Gina said sarcastically as she turned to leave. "Good luck. Don't screw it up!" she nearly hollered at him as she exited the office and left out of the back door, the metal shutting loudly behind her.

"A responsibility like this requires the obedience of a saint," Lucas said, more to himself than anyone.

"And a saint you are not," Jughead revealed next to him, crossing his arms and pushing Lucas's shoulder as he leaned forward on his knees, mirroring his friends position as he tried to stifle his laughter. The two shared a look, with Lucas's face remaining thoughtful and stoic. Meanwhile, Jughead was giving him an exasperated look, as if to chastise him for waiting so long to break Joe's rules.

Minutes later, the once quiet office was filled with chaos, as the two boys had placed small piles of cash across the table, smoking cigars in both their mouths. Lucas was sitting behind Joe's desk, drumming along the piles of money like they were his own personal drum kit, occasionally reaching for one of the beer bottles in front of him, while Jughead headbanged his heart out on the couch across from him.

As the music continued to blast in the small room, Jughead continued rocking out, while Lucas reached into the desk for a paper to write down the total amount of the money to put in the bank bag. It was then that Lucas did a double take, as he felt a rather thick, folded paper in his hands. He looked down as his brow furrowed when he realized the paper was clearly some sort of official contract. His leaned down closer to get a better look, and his attention snapped to the top of the page, where the words "Music Town Records. Franchise Option Agreement" stood in large, bold, black lettering. No way, Lucas thought. We can't be a Music Town. Joe would never let this happen.

Lucas cut the music quickly, which earned him a glare from Jughead, who stood up and reached for the dial to turn the music back up. But as Jughead approached the desk, Lucas tossed the contract his way and was rewarded with Jughead's eyes nearly bugging out of his skull as his face went from confusion to shock to anger. He scrunched up his face before throwing the contract roughly behind him in frustration, while Lucas continued to search through the drawer where the contract was.

"What the hell?" Jughead continued, gesturing wildly between the contract and Lucas. When he realized Lucas wasn't paying attention he moved to stand behind him at the desk. Lucas had produced a picture of the front of the Empire Records store, and there was a transparency attached to it. When Lucas filled the transparency over the store image, there before the two boys, was a mock-up of what Empire Records would look like when it became a Music Town.

"You've gotta be kidding," Lucas muttered, as the two just stared at the image before them, the future of their beloved teenage existence crumbling before their very eyes.

Jughead was the first to break the silence. "No way, man! Just no way! The Empire will not be crushed by the weight of capitalism. Not on my watch!" Jughead was nearly screaming now, moving in front of the desk to pace back and forth in rather calculated circles, a crazy fire behind his dark eyes, while his face was set in a calculated anger, his thoughts running as fast through his head Lucas might as well have been able to reach out and catch them.

Lucas never removed his gaze from the image, by now used to Jughead's passionate rants about social justice. He took a small breath before glancing up at his friend, a façade of seriousness invading his features as his eyes narrowed to slits and he spoke in a strong voice.

"In the immortal words of The Doors, 'The time to hesitate is through.'" Lucas waited until Jughead stopped pacing and turned towards him, nodding confidently. Lucas then jumped into action, standing up and collecting the money into one big pile before stuffing it into the inside pocket of his leather jacket.

Wait, what are you gonna do?" Jughead asked quickly as he adjusted his beanie, following Lucas out of the small office and through the same back door Gina disappeared out of. "Seriously Lucas?! You can't just take the money! We need to come up with a plan!" the beanie-clad boy was frantically ranting know, not even bothering to keep his anger in check or his voice down, despite the late hour. Lucas's silence was not helping. "Lucas, come on. What are you doing?" Jughead asked seriously, a tone of desperation seeping through his deep voice.

Lucas stopped when he reached his motorcycle, mounted it and put on his driving goggles, before looking to Jughead who was just standing beside him impatiently waiting for an answer. Lucas simply shrugged and said, "Going to make some money," before revving his engine and taking off out of the makeshift parking lot towards the main road.

Jughead jaw dropped slightly as he watched his friend go in mild disbelief. And Betty thinks I'm reckless. Jughead just shook his head as the gravel dust settled around him. With a deep sigh, he headed off towards his bike, mentally preparing for a long night of planning to find a way to circumvent this whole Music Town business. He was not going to lose another landmark and amazing hang out spot and one of a kind music store that was actually providing a fully cultural music experience to this Podunk town. As he started the engine and took off in the opposite direction of Lucas, he couldn't help but silently wish his wisdom filled friend could pull off a miracle. May the craps playing odds be ever in his favor.

***  
One and half hours later, Lucas was speeding down the highway, the wind whipping behind him, as the bright lights of Atlantic City neared on the horizon. As he drove closer, he watched the line of lights grow like towers into the sky, cutting the black night into pieces and erasing the stars. But in that moment, the money practically burning a hole in his pocket and the endless potential to expand it growing larger before him, Lucas felt an invincible determination flood him and he stepped on the gas to reach his destination faster.

As he drove through the main street of casinos, Lucas was drawn to the flashy lights and large signs, his eyes glossing over as he took in the possibilities as he drove past each one. Finally, the flashy pink sign with the words "CASINO" caught his eye and he carefully pulled his bike to a stop at a nearby curb. He ripped the driving goggles off his head, cut the engine, and confidently walked inside the inviting establishment.

Lucas unzipped his leather jacket and scanned the room, taking him the rows of slot machines and various card table options. He slowly made his way through the enormous room, his boots walking lightly on the carpet, ready to avoid any zombie-like casino patrons. He didn't spare anyone a second glance and no one appeared to notice him, at least until he reached up and pulled a slot machine handle for one woman, who stared after him in complete confusion until the machine before her started spitting out coins and she realized she won.

Lucas's confidence couldn't have been higher. He was swaggering through that casino with a pleased smirk on his face. Lucas walked past a waitress and carefully reached up to help himself to a drink, sparing a side glance to a nearby roulette table, giving a small nod to the dealer as he spun the next round on the roulette wheel.

"22," Lucas quipped as he passed the table. "22 Black," the dealer repeated, and moments later the other patrons gasped loudly as the little white ball did indeed land on 22 Black.

But Lucas missed the excitement because he had finally found his destination. The craps table. He picked out a rather quiet table, sliding in between a loud, perky blonde model type and a middle-aged man and his wife. No one paid him any mind until Lucas grabbed the money from his pocket and swiftly deposited it on the table for everyone to see. He heard the woman beside him gasps and ignored the stares of the others.

"We have a high roller," the boxman spoke loudly, gesturing for the dealer to handle the money. The dealer reached for the large pile of cash and quickly moved to exchange it for the appropriate chips.

"It's 9,104. I counted it. Twice," Lucas revealed steadily as the money was moved away. The couple to his right just kept staring while the woman to his left immediately warmed to him. "I like your style," she teased, flashing him a wide, toothy grin and throwing her arm casually behind his neck.

"Joe told me to count it twice," Lucas replied shyly, looking down and tilting his head as though he was simply repeating his regular actions.

"No more bets, please, ladies and gentleman," the boxman interjected loudly, eager to begin the game. "Place your bets down. Place 'em down," he continued quickly as the couple placed their chips next to Lucas's money. An elderly couple also made a small bet and they seemed completely uninterested in any attention Lucas had brought to the table.

"So, do I just throw it and get a seven?" Lucas asked aloofly to the boxman, rolling the dice up in his hand in preparation.

"That would be very good, sir," the boxman replied with a sincere smile, his experience knowing that anything could happen in that moment when the dice landed.

"Feeling lucky?" the blonde teased again, throwing him another winning smile, which Lucas missed because he was so focused on the space where the dice would land.

I'm guided by a force much greater than luck," Lucas stated, with a quick shake of his head, as the dice felt strong under his fingers. He brought his fist up near his face, and then released the dice fast, watching them rocket across the table and bounce brightly against the green felt of the table.

After a beat of silence from the group, the two red dice came to a halt displaying the numbers three and four. "Seven! A winner!" the boxman announced cheerfully, as the dealers moved to gather the dice and add chips to Lucas's pile.

"Baby, you are sex!" the blonde cried happily, throwing her arms around Lucas again. He simply shrugged and quietly said, "I know," with a small smile.

"Same lucky shooter?" The boxman urged Lucas loudly. "Place your bets down, ladies and gentleman. Hot shooter on the line!" he continued, resetting the table for the next throw.

"You know what?" Lucas interjected thoughtfully. "Let it ride." The other players looked at him in shock and pointed looks of judgment. Even the boxman rose his eyebrows at Lucas, before continuing to prepare the table. "Hot dice, coming up!" the boxman yelled, getting the dice back to Lucas for the next roll.

The man next to Lucas, who had been casually smoking a cigarette during the last roll, finally spoke up. "That's an $18,000 bet. You sure you know what you're doing, kid?" He asked nervously, gesturing his free hand between the money and Lucas.

Lucas ignored him and turned to connect eyes with the blonde still hanging off of him. "I know this," Lucas started, before pulling his lips into a thin line and holding up the hand that now held the dice as he looked back to the man who posed the question.

"If I win this roll, I will save the place that I work from being sold and the jobs of my friends that work there. Thus striking a blow at all that is evil and making this world a better place to live in," Lucas spoke with quiet conviction. The others continued to stare at him, unmoved by his passionate speech. Lucas faltered for a moment, before gesturing his hand around at the others. "And...I'll buy you guys a drink," he finished slowly, hoping to entice their approval. They all voiced their happiness at his prospect.

"No more bets, ladies, and gentleman. No more bets. Place 'em down," the rapid-fire words of the boxman interrupted the celebration as the final bets were placed on the table. Lucas once again raised his fist up near his face, shaking the dice back and forth between his fingers. "Joe, this one's for you," Lucas spoke to himself, before letting out a short breath and released the dice across the table once more.

This time when the dice landed, the reaction was much slower. The two dice had each landed on one, or snake eyes. "Two! Craps! Dealer roll," the boxman yelled rather unenthusiastically. Lucas's face didn't give away a hint of shock or disappointment as he stared at the spot where the dice landed, and he appeared to not initially feel the loss of the money.

"You know something? You used to be cute," the blonde quipped, before pushing away from him and leaving the table.

"You used to have nine thousand bucks," sneered the man next to him, who also moved on to another table.

"I wonder if I'll be held responsible for this," Lucas said airily to himself, the weight of his actions still not setting in, even as he watched the money pile and his recently earned chipped taken away by the nearest dealer.

Almost in a daze, Lucas exited the casino through the same entrance in which he came, speeding back to the store, his mind blank while his next course of action eluding him. He came to a stop next to the record store and parked his bike in the side alley, staring out at the concrete in front of him. He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he remembered was A.J.'s voice and a jerk of his bike jolting him awake.


	2. Chapter 2 - Opening the Store

"Lucas? Hey, Lucas!" A.J. was nearly screaming in Lucas's ear as he attempted to wake up his friend and coworker who had apparently fallen asleep on his motorcycle outside the store.

Lucas sat up abruptly, nearly dislodging his driving goggles from his head, his hands immediately planted themselves on the handlebars a she attempted to steady himself and not topple into his friend A.J. A quick glance around informed Lucas that it was clearly morning, by the way the sun was kind of blinding him, and then he noticed the concerned looks of A.J. and Jughead to his right and Mark to his left. He saw Jughead's bike parked beside his, as Jughead leaned against it with his arms crossed giving Lucas a very inquisitively hard stare. The dark circles under his eyes made Lucas realize that his little discovery the night before that kept his friend up last night as well.

Blinking slowly, Lucas shrugged his shoulders in an attempt to ease the tension in his back from his awkward sleeping position, and his leather jacket seemed tighter than usual around his body. Lucas slowly realized that A.J. was trying to talk to him, as Mark continued to look concerned. "What the hell are you going here, man?" A.J. asked lightly, an amused tone to his question.

Lucas swallowed his discomfort, adopting his usual aloof attitude in an attempt to hide his colossal blunder. "Something happened to me last night," he began, looking between Mark, A.J., and Jughead. "In Atlantic City," he continued while starting up his bike again. At his words, both A.J. and Mark smiled thinking Lucas was being funny, but Jughead immediately rose from his bike, looking startled, but not entirely surprised.

"Whoa, you went to Atlantic City?" A.J. asked quickly. "Did you win anything?" Mark asked hopefully, appearing to expect an amusing story from the night manager.

"No," Lucas stated definitively, pointed a finger at Mark to get his point across. "I did not win," he continued, looking between Mark and A.J. again, and ignoring Jughead who had chosen to pace again in the small space between his own bike and where A.J. stood, not looking at Lucas.

"So, if you guys ever wonder if it was nice to know you, I tell you now, that it was," Lucas revealed somberly, with a nod to both A.J. and Mark. Upon hearing this, Jughead glared at Lucas before closing his eyes and pinching his nose with his thumb and forefinger and reaching up to readjust his beanie.

Lucas revved his engine loudly, preparing the drive away. "Shit, what happened?" A.J. asked, already expecting the worse but needing details. At Lucas's silence, he pressed further. "What happened?"

"I do not regret the things I've done, but those I did not do," Lucas yelled loudly over the engine noise, before driving away and turning sharply onto the man road and away from the store entrance.

"Lucas, how much?!" A.J. yelled after him waving his arms up over his head, still holding out hope for an answer. "Shit," A.J. said under his breath, which drew more concern from Mark.

"What do you mean by shit, man? What's up?" Mark asked looking worried, running a hand through his unruly red hair and letting his skateboard hit the ground with a loud thunk.

"Well, Lucas doesn't have any money and Joe let him close the store last night," A.J. revealed dramatically, as though it should be obvious. All three boys had begun walking towards the front doors of the store as Lucas drove away.

"So?" Mark asked dumbly, following behind A.J. still clearly confused. Jughead interjected, grabbing the edge of Mark's right shoulder and sending him a pointed look. "Dude," Jughead quipped lightly. Realization quickly dawned over Mark's features, a high pitched laugh escaping his lips before he covered his mouth to stop it. "Oh," Mark stated quietly. " I guess he didn't live up to the responsibilities of the position, haha," Mark continued to laugh, which also brought an amused smile to Jughead's face as A.J. just shook his head and moved his brown locks out of his face.

"Hey, shut up," A.J. suddenly said to Mark, as both Mark and Jughead looked back to see their manager, Joe, driving up in his cream-colored convertible. They all greeted the suit and tie wearing middle aged man with a warm welcome and big smiles, which did nothing to hide the sour mood the man was clearly in. "What's up with the nice threads, man?" Mark inquired happily, again failing to conceal his laughter.

Joe continued to exit his car and walk past the boys up to the front doors to unlock them, without so much as a passing glance. "Frigging Archie Andrews Day!" Joe replied frustratingly. He trudged up to unlock the door, and A.J. tried to suppress his cheesy smile at the thought of Archie Andrews Day, while Mark happily danced through the now open door singing the latest hit of the aging pop singer, who Mark was sometimes mistaken for. Jughead quickly walked through the door and made a beeline for the main record player, determined to start the day with some good tunes.

Joe huffed out his anger loudly and locked the door behind Jughead. The foursomes footsteps echoed loudly through the previously quiet store until the shrill ringing of the telephone by the register broke the rhythm. Mark basically jumped over to the register to answer the phone, and after his welcome greeting, he turned sharply to inform Joe that it was the bank. Joe rolled his eyes and began to walk back towards the register at the front of the store, allowing Mark to lace the phone in his outstretched hand. As soon as that exchange was done, the other white telephone by the register also rang, so Mark moved over to answer that one as well.

"Empire Records. Open 'til Midnight. This is Mark," he answered politely, with a wide grin, which faded into a look of horror as the female voice on the other end asked to speak to Joe. Mark's face was frozen, his eyes wide, and his jaw dropped open in shock, before swallowing thickly and turned towards Joe to deliver the news. "It's the boss," he announced shyly, his lips pressed together in a thin line, holding up the phone towards Joe, who immediately looked surprised and took the call. Mark practically ran away from the register towards the backroom to get away from the bad mojo as he heard Joe start yelling into the phone.

"Cheryl? Calm down! Would you stop yelling?" Joe asked in a stern voice into the receiver, used to the fiery bombshell's attitude but in no mood to deal with it this early in the day.

Mark pushed through the swinging blue doors that sectioned off the backroom from the rest of the store, to find A.J. and Jughead sitting at the back table, with their heads pushed close together, talking softly. Mark could clearly tell they were trying to figure out how to conceal their knowledge of Lucas's actions from Joe for as long as possible. Mark had stopped just inside the doors and watched them for a moment, before glancing slowly behind him to see their temperamental manager walking towards them at a brisk pace. Mark spun back around like a spring and made a loud coughing noise, which caught Jughead's attention. If Mark's wide eyes and fingers pointed behind him wasn't enough of a dead giveaway that Joe was heading their way, the way Mark dove onto the couch and tossed a comic book between his hands pretending to be completely engrossed in it was.

Jughead and A.J. moved apart, with A.J. busying himself with organizing the various objects on the table in front of him, while Jughead studied the cover of the closest record he could reach with intense interest. None of the boys looked up as they heard the back doors swing wide open and bang against Joe's office wall. Joe's footsteps were heavy even over the blue carpeted floor, as he moved into the small storeroom where the safe was kept. A.J. and Jughead both discreetly watched as Joe opened the safe and then cursed Lucas up, down and sideways before slamming it shut again.

The long-haired man stood up, turned slowly around while tossing his hair out of his face, and put his both hands on his hips, dislodging his black jacket from his waist. Joe came to stand tall in the storeroom doorway, looking at Mark, A.J. and Jughead each for a beat, clearly expecting some sort of information from the trio.

"What's the matter, Joe?" asked A.J. softly, and with a practiced tone of innocence in his voice. He was the only one who dared speak to and or even make eye contact with Joe right now, whose hard gaze could have cut marble. At A.J.'s words, Joe let out a deep breath, his frustration mounting by the second.

Corey Mason and Betty Cooper were never late. Even if that meant they had to run from Corey's front door to Gina's car with their arms filled with freshly baked goods and advanced placement textbooks without tripping or messing up their carefully selected outfits.

"Surprise!" Corey yelled happily to Gina, as she and Betty descended the stairs of the front walk towards Gina's red convertible. Behind her, Betty echoed the same sentiment, as they continued with their giggles as they entered the car.

Corey, in her fluffy blue sweater and green and yellow plaid skirt with black combat boots, and Betty with her high collared floral pattern shirt concealed under her signature pink cardigan and skin tight blue jeans with white ballet flats.

"What? What is it?" asked Gina quickly, her voice filled with worry that a new crisis had emerged that early in the morning.

"Happy Archie Andrews Day!" Corey nearly screamed as Gina suppressed an eye roll and her frown turned into a smirk and Corey settled in next to her. Betty was busy securing the boxes in the backseat. As the girls' drove off, Corey's hair was flapping in the wind along with Gina's, although Betty's high ponytail remained poised and together and kept the hair out of her face.

"Okay. Here you go," Betty suddenly spoke from the back seat and both girls turned their heads to see Betty's radiant smile, her eyes bright with cheerfulness and two cupcakes with white frosting in her hands, both baked and iced to perfection.

"When did you have the time to make these?" inquired Gina as she took a cupcake and took a quick bite to cover her jaw dropping. Betty just tilted her head and giggled to herself.

"Corey said that there are 24 usable hours in every day," Betty quipped, nodding her head at Corey astutely. Gina just shook her head and polished off the cupcake. "Vanilla," she quipped in a flat tone. "How predictable," she finished, smirking in the rearview mirror at Betty, who couldn't hide her blush as her face turned the same color as her cardigan.

She looked to Corey with a knowing smirk, and her best friend just bit her lip and looked down, her straight brown locks covering her face. "So…" Gina asked lowly to Corey, trailing off noticeably as she waited for the answer she had been expecting since the announcement was made.

"So," Corey started, taking a deep breath, and running her fingers over the album cover she carefully pulled from her backpack. "Today I will offer myself to Archie Andrews," she stated confidently, bringing the album up to her red lips for a kiss.

Gina quickly plucked the album from Corey's grasp and preceded to lick Archie's face. "No, you gotta do it like this," Gina said with a laugh as Corey grabbed back the album to get it away from Gina's tongue while Betty cackled in the backseat.

After the laughter died down, Corey turned to both girls with a more somber expression. "Do you think Archie is the right guy for my first time?" Corey asked shyly, a hint of uncertainty laced through her voice.

Gina shot her a sympathetic look and Betty just stared down at Archie's face, the most prominent feature on the album cover. "I think he's perfect for you Corey," Gina replied softly, touching her friends' arms gently in reassurance. Corey was lost in Archie's face again, moving her fingers over his lips slowly as if trying to memorize them. The girls rode the rest of the way in silence.

The store wasn't even open yet and Mark and Jughead were already embroiled in an intense music debate in the middle of the store, while A.J. leaned against the checkout kiosk, barely listening. A.J. was busy trying to build up his courage to make the most important announcement of his life. He wrung his hands together and glanced around the store quickly, spotting Joe walking back towards his office, and followed. Since A.J. started working at Empire, Joe had been a sort of father figure and giver of advice for him, and A.J. really needed some advice right now.

"Hey Joe, you know a lot about love, right?" A.J. asked quietly, his voice shakey as he followed Joe around the room as the manager looked for the missing money.

"Oh yeah. My wife left me for another woman and my girlfriend forced me to leave at gunpoint," Joe answered sarcastically. "Do this qualify me?" Joe asked seriously.

"Oh yes," A.J. answered, waving off any doubt. With a deep breath, A.J. straightened his posture and said the words he had been reciting in his head for years. "Look, Joe, today is the today that I'm going to tell Corey how I feel about her. Now, I know what you're thinking, but I really am," Corey continued, ignoring Joe's indifference to this news. "I gotta tell her, Joe. I gotta tell her That I, uh…that I, uh…" A.J. trailed off, his confidence dropping as he became unable to say the words on the tip of his tongue, even to Joe.

"That you love her," Joe finished for A.J., placing his hands on his hips with a sigh, realizing that the money appeared to be nowhere in the store.

"Yea, now how do I do that?" A.J. asked seriously, leaning in to show Joe how committed he was to his question.

Joe blinked and stared at A.J. for a few moments. "You say I love you," Joe replied simply, as though the answer was already clear. "What do you need, written instructions?" Joe quipped as he moved to check the worn patterned couch cushions one more time.

A.J., who seemed to be lost in thought or seriously considering Joe's offer of written instructions. With another burst of confidence, he came to stand behind Joe, his mind definitely made up. "I'm going to tell her this morning. By noon. By 1:37. Yes, by 1:37, exactly Joe," A.J. stated definitively, pointed a finger in Joe's face and nodded proudly at his manager who was now standing in his office doorway, looking at A.J. with that trademark blank stare. Oh, to be young again.

"Well good luck," Joe added softly, his tone split between the sincerity of his words and his disbelief at having this entire conversation during the money crisis. "Thank you," A.J. added quickly, pride radiating from his whole demeanor.

Gina parked her convertible behind the store in the employee parking lot, and all three girls exited the car, singing along to the final bars of Archie's most popular hit "I'll Try," all in unison. When the final bars were sung, all three girls had smiles on their faces, not immune to the charm and effective marketing and songwriting ability of Archie Andrews.

As Betty distributed the boxes between herself and Corey, and Corey gushed about the first time she remembered hearing the song, the back door of the store burst open and A.J. appeared before them, a bit frantic, startling all three girls into silence.

"Um, you guys cannot go in there right now," A.J. warned, holding his hands out in front of him to stop them as the door shut loudly behind him. Betty, Gina, and Corey all gave each other bewildered looks before following A.J. away from the door to hear the juicy gossip.

Meanwhile, back inside the store, Joe was in his office with the door shut and the blinds closed. He was waiting impatiently as the phone rang, angrily expecting his night manager, Lucas, to answer the phone and explain himself. Joe swiveled lightly in his chair as he tapped the back of his head with his two drumsticks, as the phone rang and rang, his mood worsening with each beep. "Pick up the phone…pick up the phone…COME ON BUCKETHEAD!" Joe yelled into the receiver in anger.

Outside the office, the foursome entered through the back door and each greeted cheerful hellos to Joe, even though his door was still shut. Corey quietly inquired as to whether Joe knew about what Lucas had done, and A.J. quickly shook his head. Betty dropped her boxes on the nearest table and all but ran towards the front of the store, eager to see Jughead, whose deep voice was traveling back into the back room, filled with rage at the idea of metal music being the ideal of any situation. "I better go save Mark," Betty whispered, "It's far too early for a music choice evisceration," Betty finished as she pushed through the doors and disappeared from sight.

A.J. helped Corey settle and organize the boxes, while Gina reached for a bag of M&Ms in the top drawer, which decided the music choices of the day. To her confusion, the bag was missing and a quick search around the room and a few dropped pieces of candy leading towards the front of the store told her someone had taken it. With a sigh, she beckoned her A.J. and Corey to follow her out front to solve the mystery. Once through the doors, Gina spotted Betty and Mark standing near the record player, Mark talking animatingly about some cool new band he found and Betty was listening intently with a polite smile on her lips.

"Hey, anybody seen the M&Ms?" Gina asked, looking around at the others with a bit of judgment, throwing her hands up. The brief moment of silence following her question was interrupted by a loud crunching noise coming from the large, winding staircase to their right. Gina, A.J., Corey, Betty and Mark all looked towards the stairs to see Jughead, frozen on the spot, sitting in the middle of the stairs, his beanie over his raven hair, one hand full of M&M's and the other clutching the hand closer to his body. Betty was the first to react, letting her mouth drop open a bit and tilting her head in slight judgment at her boyfriend's ferocious appetite.

Jughead continued chewing for a moment as the others' sent him some glowering looks and Gina moved in his direction swiftly. "Ok, hand the bag over now, Jones!" Gina yelled, not messing around. "It's music selection time!" Gina's words broke Jughead from his trance and he sprung to his feet, running up the stairs away from them, taking the bag with him.

Gina stopped and huffed out a breath as she turned around to look at the others. Sharing a few smirks at their friends' appetite, Gina was the first to concede. "Okay, maybe we'll just use Skittles instead," she smirked, moving over to the cash register where a pack of skittles was indeed waiting underneath one of the shelves. She moved to the others, opened the bag and promptly dropped a few pieces of candy into each waiting hand, not speaking a word as she went. In an homage to Jughead, who was concealed in the corner and still eating if the sound was any indicating, Gina jogged up the first few steps and placed the bag of candy in both hands. She stopped on one step and swiftly pulled a skittle from the bag, facing the others who had gathered in a group at the bottom of the stairway.

"Okay, I got a brown! Anybody got brown?" Gina yelled. A.J., Corey, Betty and Mark all checked and confirmed they did not.

Gina selected another piece and made a show of revealing it to be orange, twirling it between her fingers in the right hand. After a moment of silence, Mark quickly held up his left hand, where he held an orange skittle between his thumb and index finger. Betty, A.J. and Corey all groaned, as they watched Mark happily skip away to the record player to start the music from his latest musical obsession.

Luckily, Mark chose an upbeat song, so the gang quickly disbursed and got to work cleaning and preparing the store to open. Not being scheduled to work, Betty went up the stairs to retrieve Jughead and ensure him and his eating habits that he was safe from Gina's wrath.

Meanwhile, A.J. began cleaning the surfaces around the cash registers, while Mark swept the floor and headbanged wildly, and Gina dusted the CD shelves. Corey was in the back, preparing coffee for everyone since she was also not scheduled to work until later that afternoon.

Minutes later, A.J. walked over to the record player and abruptly shut off the song. The sudden silence prompted Mark to run back to the record player, bewildered at the lack of noise. "What are you doing man?" Mark asked as he watched A.J. take the CD out of the player.

"I'm exercising my veto, man," A.J. revealed, hiding the CD from Mark's view as he selected another song. "Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, it's only 9 a.m." Mark nearly stuttered, shocked that A.J. would use his veto so early.

"Mark, listening to this stuff is guaranteed to make you sterile," A.J. stated emphatically, reaching for the concealed lighter in his jacket pocket. Mark scoffed and then sulked away in defeat. "Maybe I want to be sterile…" Mark muttered under his breath, reaching to pick up the broom again. A.J. looked over his shoulder at Mark before burning the bottom of the CD so it couldn't be played again.

In the back room, Joe finally emerged from his office and walked over to the storeroom. He looked up as he headed back to his office and was surprised to find Corey there in the back room, sitting at the table, her nose in a textbook. Joe leaned one arm against the wall and watched her for a moment.

'Corey, what are you doing here?" Joe asked lightly. Corey jumped a bit, startled by the noise, and turned to face Joe was a somber smile. "Calculus," Corey said with an eye roll. "I hate it, but my dad says I've got to get an A," Corey finished, turning back to the book.

"No I mean what are you doing here? You're not on until this afternoon," Joe asked simply, but smiling at her truthful answer.

"Joe, it's Archie Andrews Day," Corey replied with a sickeningly sweet smile. Joe took a deep breath and pushed off the wall, heading back out to his office. "Archie Andrews Day," Joe muttered through gritted teeth, as he slammed his office door open, his footsteps heavy on the tile floor.

Archie Andrews was one of the most popular pop singers of the 1990s. His boyish good looks, flaming red hair, and signature letterman jacket made women and girls of all ages swoon over him. For the most part, his music was super poppy with some suggestive dance moves, but he did break some hearts (and make some girls faint) with his latest single "I'll Try," a softer, acoustic guitar ballad that he was using to bring back his image. Archie went from being a nobody from a small-town football team to a teen pop singing sensation inside of one year and never looked back. But now, twenty years later, his fan base all had teenagers of their own and the money wasn't rolling in like it should.

Luckily for Empire Records, Archie's management had booked the singer for a big signing at the independent record store, which Joe agreed to hoping it would bring in a large crowd. Archie's fanbase may be aging, but they were loyal, and the turnout was always massive. Joe just had to survive a day of middle-aged housewives fawning ad screaming over a grown man wearing a teenage football jacket and singing love ballads in a fake New Zealand accent.

Archie Andrews was from a small town in New York, but after his previous album sales failed to reach expected levels, the singer took a break from music to "find himself." He resurfaced a year later still wearing that god awful yellow and blue letterman jacket, but now it was accompanied by a New Zealand accent, due to Archie having found "enlightenment there" and his "truth," at least according to the press releases for the new music. Sales for the album were still a bit low, but Archie's fans died over the singers' new accent, the same way they fawned over his teenage dance moves. Joe sighed and tried to focus on the set up for the event, which would hopefully be an uneventful signing for local fans who would also be encouraged to buy music while waiting to meet him. It was going to be a long day.

In the main room, someone had decided to play Archie's latest hit, maybe in an attempt to get everyone in the mood for the event. All the same, Corey came out and joined Gina and Betty in showing off some ridiculous and well-practiced dance moves to the uncomplicated lyrics. Jughead watched from his perch on top of the cash register desk, his hands covering his ears to prevent any bleeding at the horrible songs, a cringing look appeared permanently etched on his face. Mark continued to sweep but began to sing the lyrics uncontrollably loud in the back room, which earned him a strict hush from Joe.

Mark stopped sweeping and was about to reply with a clever retort when a familiar looking man in a black leather jacket walked into the back room from the front of the store.

Mark greeted the man the same as he would any other day, despite the circumstances. With a big smile and a polite tone. Only today those were accompanied by a rigid posture and a hint of fear and surprise in his tone.

"Hey Lucas."


	3. Chapter 3 - Shoplifter!

The only sound in that moment was the soft clink of Lucas extracting a quarter from the bucket and tossing it with expert and effortless precision to Mark, who caught the shiny coin in his right hand while standing across the room.

The leather jacket wearing Lucas swiftly walked into the backroom towards his fellow employee, the weariness of his night completely erased from his features. The only hint of there being anything amiss was when a booming voice called his name.

"Lucas!" Joe yelled loudly and with an air of relief, as he quickly moved from sitting behind his desk in his office to coming to stand within a foot of Lucas, who turned and gave Joe his best-shocked expression.

"Joe," Lucas said is a strangled voice, attempting to back away from his manager as he made his advance. Joe stood in front of him with his hands on his hips, fixing his hard gaze on Lucas in a show of intimidation.

"Where's the money?" Joe asked, his eyebrows raising with the question, both men knowing that it was missing and only one of them knowing why.

"Joe, the money is gone," Lucas answered, his more casual demeanor returning while pointing his finger in Joe's face to make his point clear.

"Gone?" Joe asked incredulously as the two began to walk backward across the room, Joe not giving Lucas a chance to stand his ground. "Where is it?"

"In Atlantic City," Lucas quipped, in an obvious tone, attempting to swallow his usually smile and make light of a bad situation.

"What's it doing in Atlantic City?" Joe asked through gritted teeth. He had stopped moving around the room and he and Lucas were squaring off next to the couch, while Mark and Corey attempting to fade into the background invisibly.

"Recirculating," Lucas said smartly, as he watched Joe face move from curious anger to pissed off with an impressive jaw clench. Lucas swallowed and meekly held up the plastic bucket in his hands, a silent offering and his attempt to make up the money.

"Recirculating," Joe muttered under his breath. After a tense beat of silence, Joe snatched the bucket out of Lucas's hands and Lucas watched it hit the ground with the coins scattering haphazardly around the carpet.

Lucas was broken from his gaze when he felt Joe grab onto the lapel of his jacket, pulling him closer to whisper harshly in his ear. "I told Cheryl that you forgot to deposit the money," Joe explained with calculated ease, before pushing Lucas easily down onto the couch cushions.

"Now you are going to sit on this couch unless you leave to get me nine thousand dollars," Joe practically yelled, getting his point across to Lucas who was still muttering ideas about where the money could be by now. Joe retreated back to his office, attempting to come up with a plan.

'Joe, it's going to be okay," Lucas said assertively, from his position on the couch, while he made no move to get more comfortable or adjust his jacket, which had been dislodged by Joe's handling of it.

"What makes you say that, Lucas?" Joe asked seriously.

"Who knows where thoughts come from, they just appear," Lucas said cheekily, his teenage humor seeping back into his features. Joe just rolled his eyes and slammed his office door behind him, effectively ending the conversation. For his part, Lucas stared after him as Marc offered from a small golf clap of success and a giddy smile for the outcome of that conversation. Corey remained engrossed in her homework.

Outside in the parking lot, a loud rumbling rang out, as a canary yellow moped pulled around the corner and careened down the street before stopping abruptly in front of the front door. Sitting on the moped was a lanky teenager with loose and faded blue jeans and a simple back hoodie that was zipped up halfway. A worn white helmet sat awkwardly on her head. Her name was Deb.

Moments later she got off the moped and pulled off the helmet as she entered the front door quickly, shaking out her dark, brown locks as she avoided the gazes of Corey and Gina who manned the register and attempted to greet her. Deb ignored them as she stomped towards the back room, although she did glance up at and make eye contact briefly with Jughead, who was still sitting on the stairs with Betty.

Deb also ignored A.J., Mark and Lucas's greetings as she flipped them off, slammed her helmet down on the table and locked herself in the small bathroom. The boys exchanged bewildered looks, which were broken when Joe re-emerged from his office.

"Lucas, are you in trouble?" Joe asked seriously, clearly attempting to rationalize his night manager's behavior. "Did you need the money? Because if you are in trouble you can talk to me," Joe continued softly, sitting down on the couch next to Lucas, his posture relaxed.

"Joe, we're all in some kind of trouble. Am I the only one who sees it?" Lucas asked sardonically. "Deb's in trouble. And A.J.' in trouble…" Lucas continued with his rant, although A.J. chimed in to explain that he wasn't in trouble in a weak attempt to stall Lucas's argument.

A.J. was busy crouching down on the floor around the quarters that still lay there, after being thrown from the bucket Lucas was holding before Joe dislodged it. He had begun to tune out the Lucas and Joe argument until he felt a presence next to him, and looked up to see Jughead reaching for a nearby quarter as well. At A.J.'s questioning glance, Jughead shyly smirked and shrugged before reaching for the glue that was still in A.J.'s hand. After watching Jughead expertly glue down his quarter the duo continued with their mission to secure all the quarters, passing the glue between them without another word.

Joe and Lucas continued to argue quietly, Lucas easily avoiding any real reason why he took the money in favor of jokes and evasive looks before Joe grew tired of his tactics.

"A.J., I need you to close," Joe stated authoritatively to the young man, as they both stood up.

"Joe, I opened, man," A.J. reasoned, trying to get out of it. Lucas suddenly jumped into the conversation and offered to close, which made A.J. laugh and earned him a stare from Joe.

Clearing his throat to buy time and adjust his grey sweater, A.J. confirmed he could close. "They raised my rent, so I could definitely use the money," A.J. revealed.

"Well, damn the man," Lucas offered in support, as Joe huffed in frustration and locked himself in his office once again.

In the bathroom, Deb stood in front of the mirror, running her fingers harshly through her messy brown hair, his face a picture of anguish and she tried to keep the tears circling her eyes at bay. With no hesitation, she reached for the old scissors resting next to the sink and lifted them to her hair.

With a blank stare in her eyes, she assertively began cutting her hair off as short as she could with the small scissors, not speaking a word. However, as the hair began to fall into the sink, a small twinkle of hope appeared in her eyes and her confidence grew. She surveyed her handiwork and a shy smile, before picking up the shears and expertly making herself completely bald.

Outside the bathroom, A.J., Jughead, and Lucas were discussing the intricacies of love.

"Listen, do you think it's possible for someone to be in love with someone else and not even know it," A.J. asked mysteriously, breaking the silence of the coin gluing.

"Absolutely," Jughead answered confidently, looking up at A.J. to make his point for known, an almost regretful tone in his voice.

"In this life, there are nothing but possibilities," Lucas answered philosophically from his perch on the couch. A.J. took that answer with a grain of salt as he considered his words of love for Corey in his head.

In the next moment, Deb emerged from the bathroom and debuted her new look for the trio of boys, before moving to punch her timecard.

Exchanging curious glances, A.J. was the first to speak. "You did have hair when you went in there right?" he asked. "Yeah, it's still in the sink if you wanna glue it," Deb asked astutely, before heading off to the storeroom without a second thought.

"Wait," A.J. stated loudly, jumping up from his spot on the floor and moving over towards Deb. Jughead, who had been silently watching her, came to the same conclusion as A.J., and moved to stand behind him, a look of mild concern on his features.

Deb came back into the back room and stopped in front of both boys. "What?" she asked rudely, trying to move past.

"What is this?" A.J. asked seriously right in Deb's face, as she held up her right wrist and pulled down her jacket sleeve to reveal a long white bandage around her wrist. Deb immediately tensed and refused to make eye contact, which only fueled both Jughead and A.J.'s concern.

"I decided I'd rather kill myself than meet Archie Andrews," Deb quipped sarcastically, nearly trying to avoid the question and get to work.

"That's not funny!" Jughead roared from behind A.J., grabbing his beanie in frustration as A.J. put his hands up to stop Deb from walking away. "No, I'm not letting you through until you tell me what's going on," A.J. said angrily, raising his voice.

Lucas broke the tense moment when he came to stand next to Deb, softly caressing her scalp with his left hand. "She's fine," he spoke softly. Deb took that opportunity to thank Lucas and walk out to the main floor for work.

A.J. just stared at Lucas while Jughead glared at him briefly, before following Deb out to the front. "What's with you today?" A.J. asked incredulously, throwing his hands up at Lucas.

"What's with today? Today?" came Lucas's response, to which A.J. had no answer.

Deb walked up to the register pointedly ignoring Jughead who followed too close behind her, although once she came to stand behind the counter, she saw him move to stand next to Betty, who was happily chatting with Corey in front of her register. Upon seeing Deb, Corey quickly removed her register and have Deb her spot, the group of girls not exchanging words.

"Oh, before you hear about it, look," Deb announced suddenly, showing off her bandaged arm like a prize for all to see while glaring at Jughead, whose face was a mixture of shock and annoyance as he huffed loudly. Betty grabbed his arm to get his attention, her eyes glowing with questions. A look passed between them that suggested this was not their first entire with this issue, and they were silently deciding their next step together.

"That's supposed to be a joke, right?" Corey asked seriously, looking Deb right in the eye. But Deb just shook her head, and Corey walked off towards the back room with a knowing glance and a raised brow at Gina.

For her part, Gina simply glared at Deb, as she watched the bald woman start her register as though nothing had happened and there weren't three pairs of eyes on her. "Well, Sinead O'Rebellion!" Gina teased, attempting to get on Deb's nerves. "Shock me, shock me, shock me, with that deviant behavior!"

Deb managed a small smile, shaking her head at Gina's cleverness in the face of self-deprecating humor on serious issues. "That is so clever. I swear to God you get smarter the shorter for skirt gets," Deb answered.

"And you get smarter the shorter your hair gets," Gina quipped back as the two stared at each other in a sarcastic stand-off. Betty and Jughead witness it in silence, before Betty tugged Jughead away, losing patience and needing answers.

Elsewhere in the store, Mark and some other guys were headbanging and moshing to some metal music. They were making a ruckus with their movements but nobody else paid them any mind. Lucas was still sitting quietly on the couch, while Joe was holed up in his office, on the phone with police to report the missing money as a robbery.

Gina took a moment to walk over and shut off the music, to the ire of Mark. "What'd you do that for?" he asked curiously, following her around the record player.

"It's too early for that kind of music, it makes the customers all crazy like," she answered, waving him off. "That's the point," Mark replied, watching her go with slumped shoulders.

Mark's spirits were immediately lifted though when Eddie appeared in front of him. His friend and fellow employee, Eddie quickly greeted Mark before handing him a new tape mix, to expand Marc's musical horizons. Upon closer inspection of the tape, Mark realized Eddie included everything from classical to Pink Floyd, which made him giddy with apparent joy.

"Oh, one more thing," Eddie leaned in and whispered, pushing his long, brown hair over his shoulders and glancing around the store once before looking back to Mark. "I made you these. They are my special recipe. Lots of sugar," Eddie revealed happily as Mark took the tin foil covered package from him to reveal a batch of delicious looking brownies that made Marc's mouth water.

"You need to understand something man. Without this music, life would be meaningless," Eddie continued trying to get Marc to focus.

Mark blinked up at him, his attention finally pulled from the brownies. "Dude, did you hear about Lucas?" Mark asked quietly.

In the backroom, A.J. was busy adding new sketches to his notebook, Corey was back to studying calculus, Lucas was silent and still exiled to the old couch, and Betty and Jughead were seated on the floor sorting through a pile of records that wasn't out on the floor for sale yet.

The silence of the group ended when Eddie and Mark came swinging through the doors, Eddie immediately ranting about Lucas's illicit adventures to Atlantic City the night before. "So, I heard you like, married a mobsters wife?" Eddie trailed off, expecting Lucas to expand on his nighttime adventure.

Lucas kept his stoic demeanor and tone, despite Eddie's apparent excitement for the story. "Not entirely," he answered flatly, looking between Eddie's happy expression and Mark's slightly guilty one. Eddie opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted by the loudspeaker.

"This song goes out to our employee of the week, Lucas," Gina's voice boomed sweetly over the loudspeaker, as Eddie and Marc clapped for their friend's tribute. Lucas crossed his arms over his chest and appeared to relax a bit, enjoying the beat of the song.

The eclectic tune of Money (That's What I Want) by the Flying Lizards began to play, and it was rather fitting. All the employees seemed to be enjoying it and even both Betty and Jughead had fun grins on their faces as the song continued. That happy moment ended though when Gina ad-libbed "Joe's money" into the song and the manager was not impressed.

Without a word, Joe left his office and moved to the storeroom, picking up a new cardboard box and placing it under his arm, and grabbing a set of orange flyers laid on top. He left the room and moved to Corey first, since she was closest, and placed on the orange flyers on the desk in front of her, before moving over to A.J., he continued to pass out the flyers to Eddie and Marc before placing the box on the table in front of the couch where Lucas sat.

"What the hell is this, Joe?" Corey questioned, reading over the sheet quickly, her confusion growing.

"Rules and Standards for Music Town Employee Conduct" A.J. read loudly, the disgust in his tone evident. "We're not a Music Town," A.J. continued adamantly.

"No, we're not a Music Town. Yet," Joe replied, pulling an orange apron from the cardboard which was adorned with the Music Town logo in fancy red lettering across the front. Joe continued to remove them and tossed them to Lucas, Corey, and A.J., although he let his drop to the floor as he continued ranting about the flyer.

"Isn't Music Town a chain, Joe?" Mark asked in a scared voice, which was immediately drowned out by A.J. loudly reading out the rules he felt were the most offensive to the entire group.

'Why didn't you tell us?" Mark asked Joe, who had listened to his employee's concerns in silence up until that point.

"Because I was trying to stop it," Joe reasons, placing his hands on his hips and glancing around at everyone. "I got together enough money to make Cheryl on offer. I was going to buy this place so it wouldn't be a Music Town," he explained adamantly.

He was immediately cut off by Corey, A.J., Mark and Eddie all exclaiming how happy Joe buying Empire would make them. "You think it's going to happen now?" Joe yelled incredulously to the others, looking down at Lucas on the couch who wisely avoided Joe's gaze.

"I have to pay for what Mr. Brilliant here did. It's over kids," Joe explained, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"Damn the Man!" Jughead yelled loudly, pumping his fist on the carpet, a look of fury on his face, while Betty stroked his other arm lightly.

Joe just let out a huff and ran a hand through his thick hair before turning away. "We're going to be a Music Town," he finished, retreating back into his office.

Back at the register, Gina and Deb had finally found common ground on something to hate. While Gina recited some of the rules with fake enthusiasm, Deb just stared at the flyer in abject horror. "Let's just rip," De stated flatly before both girls grabbed their flyers and ripped them to shreds right there at the register.

The somber tone that had invaded the employees didn't last long. It was Archie Andrews Day after all, and there was still much preparation to be done. Corey pushed a life-sized photo of Archie, complete with a letterman jacket and goofy grin from the backroom to the main floor with a gigantic smile on her face, and when Betty saw it both girls ascended into deep giggles. Jughead spotted the photo and was staring at it in mild horror before he slowly slinked away into the music shelves until he was no longer in Archie's eye range. A.J. was busy fixing the banner to hang behind Archie during the signing and welcome people to the store. Mark struggled to assemble the table where Archie would sit, the old school engineering getting the better of him. Lucas stayed by himself on the couch in silence but kept leaning out to watch.

A long line of middle aged woman and young moms had been building outside, and now that everything was set up, the line was migrated to weave in and out of the store. Each woman held their own copy of Archie's music or their favorite photo of him, so dozens upon dozens of Archie's were visible almost anywhere anybody looked in the store. The entire line was a buzz with excitement, women making noises that were more suitable for teenage girls with celebrity crushes or first-time pop concert tickets. They were so wrapped up in their own dreams and hopes they didn't notice the young man in the large coat. No one did.

He was a kid, that much was obvious. A young teenager, maybe 15, with short and spiky red hair, much more subdues than Marc's. He was wearing a large marooned colored zip-up jacket, dark blue jeans, and sneakers, and was currently browsing the rap section of the store. He was looking around a lot, glancing behind him and at the other patrons closest to him, but no one looked back. Had he bothered to look towards the back room, he would have seen Lucas's gaze locked on him though.

Lucas was standing up, one foot still on the couch, and watching the kid with increased curiosity. Then he glanced over at Joe, who was pacing in his office. "Joe, I'm going to leave the couch now, okay? I'm leaving the couch." Lucas bent down to grab a couch cushion. Joe still hadn't even acknowledged him, so Lucas left the couch like it was no big deal.

Mark snickered when Lucas emerged from the back room. "I thought you couldn't leave the couch," he giggled. "The whole couch," Lucas muttered, gesturing to the couch cushion under his arm. "That's a technicality!" Jughead ribbed from nearby, having overheard the exchange.

"I've decided I'm going to start a band," Mark announced proudly, although Lucas's face remained blank.

"The first thing you need is a name," Lucas revealed, his philosophical wisdom returning to his tone. "Then you've know what kind of band you've got," Lucas finished, while Mark suddenly looked stricken with fear and got lost in thought.

"Yeah…I know…I was kind of thinking about Mark," Mark revealed more to himself, just thinking out loud. Lucas took that moment to turn towards the teenage boy in the maroon jacket, who he could watch much better in the main room than in the back. Lucas moved to sit on the stairs, retying his shoes in the process and dropping the couch cushion beside him. "Is that with a C or with a k?" Lucas asked Mark with interest. "Well my name is with a k, so I was thinking my band could be with a c," Marc giggled out.

"Always play with their minds," Lucas said confidently as he stood to watch the teenager again before moving away from Mark. Lucas got within a foot of the boy, who was in the process of stuffing a CD discreetly in his jacket pocket before he noticed Lucas.

"That's a big coat you're wearing," Lucas said stoically, not moving away from the boy. "Can I help you with anything?" he spoke again, but the boy just shook his head and looked down at the closest records to him. Lucas leaned in real close and started muttering weird anecdotes of wisdom near the boy's face, enough to freak him out.

"What are you some kind of weirdo?" he asked, moving away to examine more records. Lucas just glanced around, clasped his hands behind his back and followed the boy. Clearly sensing he was caught, the boy moved to walk away, throwing out a "See ya," at Lucas before turning his back.

"I'm sure I'll bump into you," Lucas spoke politely, a tone of fake politeness in his tone. The teenage then all but ran from the store, knocking into patrons eagerly awaiting the arrival of Archie Andrews before running around to the back of the store.

Meanwhile inside, Lucas ran full speed through the store and launched himself up the stairs three at a time, making Jughead chuckle and Betty yelp before moving out of the way. Mark, who had passed Lucas on the stairs got a big grin on his face at the action.

"SHOPLIFTER!" Mark yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking awkwardly.

Outside, Lucas jumped down the back stairs and landed in front of the teenager, shocking him and sending him looking frantically for another way to go. In a panic, he reached for the closest door, which happened to be the back door of the record store. He ran back out onto the main floor, knocking down some of the decorations for Archie Andrews Day and pushing patrons out of the way, which slowed this progress. Outside, Lucas had opted instead to run around the side of the store and wait patiently near the front door, blending in a bit with the waiting customers.

Gian took that opportunity to once again get on the loudspeaker and explain that the excitement they were all witnessing outside with a shoplifter.

"To your left, you will notice a shoplifter being chased by night manager Lucas. This man will be caught, deep fried in a vat of hot oil and served to our first 100 customers. Just another fun day here at Empire Records," Gina quipped in a joyful tone before jumping down from the counter and resuming work at the register.

Meanwhile outside, the teenager had emerged from the store and had nearly run straight into Lucas, before darting off into the street to get away. The kid ran in front of cars ran around aimlessly, while Lucas exposed his excellent and (up until then secret) parkour skills for the crowd. The teenager lost sight of Lucas chasing him and immediately ducked down behind a car to see if he was in the clear.

The kid jumped up after seeing the coast was clear and ran into a nearby parking lot. He was stopped abruptly when a car door opened in front of him suddenly. The kid yelped loudly and did a front flip over the door, landing hard on his back and groaning. To his left was Lucas, lounging in the passenger seat of the car, a proud smile on his face at his success.

Back at the store, a nondescript black town car entered the parking lot in the back. Inside with a middle-aged man wearing a yellow and blue letterman jacket, with shockingly red hair and a middle-aged woman with raven locks, a pristine black skirt, heels, a pale blue shirt and a small string of pearls. Both occupants exiting the vehicle and turned towards the store.

"Oh god, look at this place," Archie whined, his frustration growing with each passing second.

"Hey, it looks fine. Small town America buys your records and they came here to see you," Veronica reasoned, adjusting her purse strap and flipping her hair as she came to stand beside Archie. With a huff, Archie walked towards the building and Veronica followed.

Inside, Lucas hauled the teenager through the store by the back of his jacket, as Joe was on the phone with the local authorities. "Yeah, this is Joe Reaves from the Empire Records Store. We have a shoplifter in custody," Joe said into the phone receiver. The kid dropped down onto the couch as A.J. dropped down beside him as Lucas came to stand behind him.

"How old are you?" Joe asked the kid.

"Old enough to kick your but old man," the kid said proudly, But Joe was unfazed, while A.J. tried to hide his snigger.

"Yeah, he's a juvenile," Joe continued into the phone, as he examined the CDs the kid had in his pocket. "What's your name?" Joe asked quickly.

"Warren Beatty," he quipped sarcastically. Joe just smiled and walked closer.

"Okay, Warren. Why don't you stand up," he asked with a fake smile on his face. Warren begrudgingly stood and then A.J. stood and pulled him towards the back wall, which made it easier to take a photo. Lucas took the CDs from Joe and placed them in Warren's hands, as A.J. readied the camera for Warren's store mugshot.

Suddenly, the store room door slammed open and there stood Gina, clad in nothing but an orange Music Town apron, which barely covered her thin frame. "And they said no revealing clothing," Gina quipped sarcastically, as Joe, Lucas, A.J. and Warren all stared at her in shock. Lucas attempted to cover Warren's eyes and Corey chose that moment to re-enter the back room, with Betty and Jughead in tow. Corey pushed play on the tape deck on the table as she passed and both girls started to rock out to the sound, much to Joe's dismay.

The chaos was broken when the back door opened slowly and two people emerged from the parking lot. Standing before them were Archie Andrews and his manager Veronica Lodge.


	4. Chapter 4 - Archie Andrews Day

Everyone, including Archie and Veronica stood frozen in the back room just staring at each other. Gina was the first to recover, moving to stand in front of the newcomers, clad in nothing but that bright orange Music Town apron.

"Welcome to Music Town. May I service you?" Gina equipped in a light voice, her hands clasped tightly under her chin, her body language turning more girlish than necessary.

Veronica's laugh broke the tension, and Archie managed a big smile, his eyes never leaving Gina's. It was then that Joe moved forward to introduce himself and chastise Gina.

"This is Archie Andrews," Veronica spoke proudly, gesturing to Archie and flashing her big smile around the room, as the pair shook hands.

"Let me introduce you to everyone," Joe spoke, motioning to his employees. "We all love the new album," Joe continued trying to change the awkward atmosphere in the room.

"What's he doing here," pipped Warren harshly from the back, which earned him some smacks over the head from A.J. and Lucas.

"I really like it," Corey stated overenthusiastically, clearly fangirling over being this close to Archie Andrews, which was making Gina smirk.

"Let's get to work," said Archie, smoothing his red locks with his hands and adjusting his letterman jacket with an air of importance.

A.J. moved to pick up the camera and started taking pictures of Warren, the first few of which also included Archie, with his arm slung around Warren's shoulders, ignoring his disgusted gaze. Jughead did his best to hold in his snicker and Betty buried her face in his shoulder. Lucas was still seated on the couch and seemed indifferent to the whole event.

Archie walked towards the front of the store, barely giving Jughead a glance and Betty a once over as he went past. Corey, Mark, Joe, Veronica and Gina followed him out.

Mark stepped up to the small table he set up to announce Archie but was drowned out by the loud cheers from the long line of female fans in the main room as they spotted Archie. The man of the day suddenly appeared next to him with his trademark smile and a generous wave before leaning towards Mark and whispering in annoyance that he wanted a different chair to sit in. Veronica seemed perplexed by Archie's request, as his anger built, but Joe stepped in quickly with a new chair.

Archie sat down and greeted the first guest as if nothing had been amiss, not even glancing back at the others. The first woman was a dark-haired beauty in her mid-thirties, wearing a powder blue pantsuit and clutching a rather worn copy of her favorite Archie Andrews record. He took it from her and began his sweeping signature as she rambled on about how amazing that album was, gesturing with her hands and giggling like a school girl.

"You were my favorite singer in high school," she nearly shrieked. Archie paused at that, his smile faltering until his lips were in a thin line and he sent her a rather offended look.

"Who is your favorite singer now?" Archie threw out at her with venom in his voice, his whole demeanor changing instantly.

The woman's smile froze on her face before she recovered. "You! It's still you!" she laughed while nodded her head. Archie handed back her album, his smile still not returned as he scoffed and looked away.

Meanwhile in the back, Lucas and Warren were both sitting on the worn couch, A.J. was drawing like his life depended on it at the table, and Betty and Jughead were seated on the floor whispering to themselves. Joe was locked away in his office, and Veronica was sitting in the yellow armchair typing away on her phone.

"So many babes out there!" Mark exclaimed as he came barreling through the back doors. "Archie wanted some water," he mumbled in explanation out loud more to himself than others as he headed towards the store room.

"Make sure it's bottled water," Veronica quipped without looking up from her phone.

"Hey Mark," Lucas asked inquisitively, to get his aloof friend's attention.

"Yea?" Mark answered with interest, turning to face Lucas.

"Who is your favorite singer?" Lucas asked seriously. Mark looked thoughtful for a moment, looking up and squinting his eyes in concentration.

"Axel Rose," Mark finally said confidently, a giggling smile on his youthful face.

"If Axel Rose was driving down the highway and he saw Archie Andrews broken down on the side of the road, you think Axel Rose would stop and help him?" Lucas asked, not looking away from Mark. A.J. and Warren both looked at Lucas in confusion. Betty leaned into Jughead and whispered, "Which one is Axel Rose again?", which caused Jughead to widen his eyes and cover his face with his hands as Betty furrowed her brow even more.

"Does Axel have a jack?" Mark asked after a few moments, clearly not having heard Betty.

"No way, man! Axel would spin the wheel, take aim, pound on the gas and take that sucker out!" Warren yelled loudly, demonstrating with hand and foot motions plus sound effects.

"Warren. Warren! Where do you get this hostility from?" Lucas asked in a concerned voice, which made A.J. laugh to himself and return to drawing.

Mark returned to the front and Warren eventually got bored of waiting and noticed the shiny quarters on the floor. He reached down and spent a few moments trying to pick them up off the carpet.

"Who glued these quarters down?" Warren asked in agitation.

"I did," A.J. and Jughead said practically at the same time. "What the hell for, guys?"

"I don't feel the need to explain my art to you, Warren," A.J. answered smoothly, not even looking up as he continued to draw.

"Warren, look what you took," Lucas exclaimed disapprovingly, holding the stolen albums in his hands. "Rap. Metal. Rap. Metal. Whitney Houston." Lucas recited each word, holding up each album for Warren to see.

"It's for my girlfriend, okay?" Warren attempted to rationalize.

"Sure it is," Lucas replied sardonically. "You know, someone like you needs to diminish their criminal impulses, not magnify them. Maybe some jazz or classical," Lucas added in a lighter tone.

"Maybe you bite me," Warren threw back at Lucas, who was wearing a look of thoughtful concern.

"Hey, silence is a virtue, man," Jughead quipped from his spot on the floor, which made Betty smile and lean her head down on his shoulder.

"Hey, do any of you guys like Archie's new record?" Veronica interjected. Everyone else laughed.

"Small town USA teeny bopper shit right?" Warren asked and Veronica nodded.

"It tested well among teenage males," she added, folding her hands together in front of her.

"Veronica, did you compare the amount of Archie Andrews fans to the incidents of homosexuality in teenage males?" Lucas asked knowingly, setting Warren's laughter off again.

"No," Veronica answered, clearly thrown a bit by the question.

"Hi," Archie greeted warmly as a young teenage girl with blonde frizzy hair stepped up to the table and handed over his record to sign.

"Who shall I make it out to?" Archie asked.

"Denise," the girl replied flatly, not offering a smile.

"Denise. I've always liked that name," Archie replied, as he flashed her his winning smile.

The girl rolled her eyes. "It's my mom's name. She loves you. I've never even heard of you," she quipped.

Archie smile froze. "Does your mother still have her teeth?" he asked through gritted teeth. "Forget it," he continued, handing her back the album and waving her off.

The next customer, an aging blonde woman, in her late 50s, walked up to the table singing her favorite Archie Andrews song at the top of her lungs and Archie did his best to hide his annoyance by smiling politely until she was done.

In the back room, the silence was once again broken when Birko walked through the door. His 6'2 frame made him cower after everyone else, his short, jet black hair falling into his brown eyes. The black combat boots he wore stomped loudly on the carpet, his black jeans were worn with holes and his maroon shirt was halfway buttoned.

"Lucas! I heard a story about you," he spoke as he crossed the room to his work cubby.

"Really? Which one?" Lucas asked in his interested tone.

"Where you stole $9,000, went to Atlantic City, and there is a contract out on you," Birko said in a casual tone. Warren seemed to be the only person shocked by this information, as if the way he rapidly looked at everyone else with his jaw wide open was any indication. Veronica never looked up from her phone.

"Hey has anyone seen Debra today?" Birko asked as he clocked in with his timecard. At the mention of Deb's name, Jughead's expression turned rather dark, and Betty rubbed his arm reassuringly.

"Yea, we saw her. She shaved her head and she has a bandage on her wrist," A.J. answered somberly.

"Really," Birko answered, seeming a bit stunned by that answer.

"Really," A.J. confirmed, not looking away from him.

Birko rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand and then looked over at Veronica as if noticing her for the first time. "Who are you?" he asked curiously.

"I'm Veronica Lodge. I work for Archie Andrews," Birko laughed a bit a that, which set everyone else's laughter off, even Betty.

Veronica's polite smile dropped off her face and she excused herself as she got up and walked over to Joe's office, shutting the door behind her.

After a few moments, Joe's outraged voice filled the back room. "You're quitting?!"

"It's not them, it's Archie. Plus, I don't like his music," she added, opening the door and walking back out into the back room.

"C'mon you gotta stay," Joe begged as he followed behind her.

"I need a change of scenery," Veronica answered while shaking her head. She turned to walk out the door to the parking lot, her heels clicking on the carpet as she went.

Joe huffed in frustration and returned to his office, slamming the door behind him.


	5. Chapter 5 - Dance Party

Joe walked over to the record player in his office and selected the song he knew that fit best with the rage coursing through his veins. Without a word he went to sit behind the drum set in his office beside his desk and pulled out the drumsticks as the opening bars of the song began to play.

The back room of the store was suddenly consumed with the amazing sounds of "If You Want Blood (You Got It) by AC/DC. Lucas hopped up from the couch, pressed the code for the intercom into the landline and hung the phone cord off of Joe's office door knob.

He turned around to stand on the top step and found A.J. right next to him, who immediately started head banging and playing air guitar alongside the riffs, while Lucas mimed holding a microphone. Joe continued banging away at the drums as the first lyrics came on.

 _It's criminal_

 _There ought to be a law_

Lucas lip synced into his hand mic, swinging his hips to the beat as he moved around A.J. intense movements.

 _Criminal_

 _There ought to be a whole lot more_

Lucas continued to sing, as Lucas suddenly jumped up from the couch as well and began jumping around the room and screaming at the top of his lungs.

 _You get nothin' for nothin'_

 _Tell me who can you trust?_

 _We got what you want_

 _And you got the lust_

 _If you want blood, you got it_

 _If you want blood, you got it_

Lucas lip synced to the beat as the trio continued to dance around the back room, and even Betty and Jughead got into it. They moved to the beat from their spot on the carpet, happy smiles on both their faces, before leaning in to kiss in between laughs.

 _Blood on the streets_

 _Blood on the rocks_

 _Blood in the gutter_

 _Every last drop_

 _You want blood_

 _You got it_

As the song continued, the employees kept rocking out with great abandon, the while the store carried on as normal, with Archie signing for the waiting customers. The listening booths were filled with customers trying out albums from classical piano pieces to metal.

 _It's animal_

 _Livin' in the human zoo_

 _If you want blood, you got it_

Corey and Gina were dancing wildly at the cash registers, the Archie Andrews fans that were waiting were indeed browsing the shelves and making purchases, so the girls were busy. Suddenly, a fiery red-headed woman in the blood red cocktail dress and matching stilettoes blew in through the front doors.

"Excuse me ladies! Less dancing, more selling," she yelled at them with a fake polite smile on her face. "Thank you," she muttered as she passed them with a small shoulder shrug. Corey immediately use the loudspeaker to announce the woman's presence and warn Joe.

"Guess whose here?" she quipped cheekily over the loudspeaker. The music quickly cut out as the woman made a beeline for the back room. However, she did move to the front of the waiting line and thrust out her hand to Archie Andrews.

"Hello there. I'm Cheryl Blossom. I own this establishment," Cheryl spoke proudly, gesturing around the store while she tossed her fiery locks over her shoulder.

Archie took her waiting hand, gave it a weak shake, and flashing a small smile. "Nice to meet you. You have a nice store," Archie replied, turning on the charm again.

"Thanks," Cheryl smirked. "You should have seen it in the good old days though. It was the premiere maple syrup distribution warehouse for the Mid-Atlantic region," she continued, providing way more detail than Archie wanted, and he quickly lost interest. "It was my father's business originally. Then my older brother decided to rebel from the family and turned it into this and tried the hippie lifestyle with his little family for a while," Cheryl finished with a sigh.

Cheryl's rant about her family ended just as soon as it began, when Joe came nearly running out of the back room. "Joe," Cheryl turned to greet him, a coy smile on her ruby lips. "Wait, why are you sweaty? You are supposed to be working!" Cheryl hissed through gritted teeth, managing to keep the fake smile on her lips.

"Double checking that the A/C is working with all these customers in here, Cheryl," Joe answered in a whisper.

"Joe, is this the way we treat Mr. Andrews? Where is the fresh fruit? Where is-" Cheryl's rant was interrupted by Archie himself, who shrugged off any extra attention in a bid to appear to be more accommodating.

"You know what, I'll see what we have for him in the back," Joe offered, heading back to the store room, as Cheryl followed, not sparing Archie another glance.

"Oh, and I'm going by the bank, so why don't you give me last night's deposit. I'll make sure it gets there this time," Cheryl added condescendingly as she followed Joe through the room.

"It's okay, I'll take care of it," Joe said quietly, hoping Cheryl would drop it.

"No, no. I insist. You're busy," Cheryl continued, examining her red nail polish as they walked towards the safe in the store room. At this point, Lucas had overheard them from his spot on the couch and was wearing as close to a look of alarm on his face as he seemed capable of. Warren was playing with a GameBoy, A.J. was back to drawing, and Betty and Jughead had gone off to a listening booth to continue making out to their favorite music.

"Hey Cheryl!" Lucas yelled to get her attention. The owner merely stopped walking and turned her head to give the employee an exasperated look. He needed to buy Joe some time to fool Cheryl and keep up the ruse that the money wasn't missing, or Lucas would be joining Warren when the police arrived for him.

"Cheryl, have you met Warren?" Lucas asked innocently, gesturing with one hand to the boy on the couch to his left, fully consumed with his game. Cheryl just stepped closer to them slowly, narrowing her eyes and giving Lucas a confused look.

"Who are you?" Cheryl asked incredulously.

"I'm Lucas. I work here," Lucas stated simply. "So, I wanted you to meet Warren here. Now you see, Warren came into the store today and did a demonstration for all the Archie Andrews fans and it was very motivational. Well he made quite an impression on everybody," Lucas rambled convincingly.

"I'm intrigued," Cheryl stated. "No, I'm not," she quipped after a beat of silence, and a small laugh.

Meanwhile in the store room, Joe quietly grabbed the empty money bag from the safe and stuffed some blank cut out pieces of paper into the bag, to make it appear to be full of money. Joe hastily removed the key from the lock after sealing the bag. Joe then walked back out into the back room and handed the bag off to Cheryl with a tight smile.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it? Thank you," Cheryl said sweetly, tilting her head and giving Joe a look of pity as she secured the money bag in her hands and walked away. Warren flipped her off as soon as her back was turned and Lucas was staring at Joe with an unreadable expression. Joe turned to stare at Lucas, a rather blank look on his face, which made Lucas smile a bit, that Joe didn't give him up and continued the money ruse.

In a quiet corner of the store, Deb was hunched over an overflowing stack of records, carefully taking inventory. She was leaning in so close to the paper attached to the clipboard her nose was nearly brushing it, as she watched her fingers furiously writing down the album information. She did not hear him approach.

"I like your hair," came the soft voice of her boyfriend Birko. He squatted down next to her and leaned in close. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Why do you care you didn't care last night," Deb snapped back angrily, not looking at him.

"Yes I did," he replied quietly.

Deb sighed and turned her head away from the records in front of her. "Look, this isn't about you okay? I got home last night and I thought about everything that had happened, that the week before that, and the year before that, and the only thing that was different has there was someone else who has making me feel shitty," Deb explained in a low voice, not making eye contact.

"I'm trying to say I'm sorry," Birko added, attempting to rub Deb's back but she flinched away.

"I just said this wasn't about you," Deb snapped again. "Look you didn't do anything wrong. I'm screwed up okay? I just want you to get up and I want you to walk away," Deb said in a harsh but calm tone. Birko sighed loudly but did as she asked. Deb returned to taking inventory without another word.


	6. Chapter 6 - Too Many Distractions

A.J. was on the roof, which in itself, wasn't unusual. What was unusual was the normal rather quiet artist rambling to himself as he paced back and forth under the large Empire Records lights sign. He kept running his hands through his hair nervously and clearing his throat to calm his nervous.

"Corey. I gotta tell you something. It's about how I feel about you," A.J. rehearsed to himself, crouching near the part of the sign that displayed the store had been open since 1958. He cracked his knuckles, his mouth opening and closing a few times, unable to get the words out.

"I, I-, I really, really, ugh," A.J. sighed and let out a big breath. He just couldn't find the words, but he kept trying.

"You know that feeling you get when you take a hot bath and you just feel really refreshed and nice? Well you make me feel like-, You make me feel like a bath?! Ugh!" A.J. cried out in frustration at his horrible attempt at an analogy. _What is wrong with me?_

A glance at his pocket watch told A.J. that it was now 1:37, the exact time he had told Joe this morning that he would reveal to Corey that he loved her. He shut the watch with confident purpose and headed back down to the store.

Back inside the main room, Corey was using the lull in customer purchases to restock the shelves with records. She seemed more bored that focused but didn't see A.J. slowly approaching from the back room. Which was a good thing since A.J. lost his nerve after staring at her for a few moments and backed away.

Tempers were flaring in the back room, where Warren was pissed because the cops finally came for him.

"This is bullshit man!" he screamed at them, as they gave him unimpressed looks, while holding his arms so he could be properly cuffed.

"The long arm of the law has finally embraced our dear friend Warren," Lucas spoke whimsically, as Joe walked out of the store room to fix the issue.

"I'm Joe. I'm the manager. Is everything okay," Joe asked the policewoman closest to him.

"We've got everything under control. We don't even need a statement from you, since we got one from Mr. Lucas," she answered firmly, shutting her notebook.

"OH! Mr. Lucas! Lucas over there too $9,000. I just took a couple of CDs!" Warren screamed again, jumping up in anger and jostling his handcuffs.

"That is enough," the cop chastised him, before pulling him out towards the front of the store.

"Come on! Lucas I thought you were my friend!" he screamed in vain, before being pulled out of the room by the cops.

"Don't let the man get you down," Lucas quipped evenly, keeping eye contact with Warren.

"I don't want to see you back in the store," Joe added seriously.

A.J. simply lifted their hands and waved as Warren was taken out. "I'm going to get you! I'll be back and you'll be sorry!" Warren shrieked as he was dragged to the front door.

Joe sighed and walked back out to the front and headed up the stairs, leaving his employees be in the back. As he passed the listening windows, he noticed two somewhat similar faces, or rather their clothes. A leather jacket, beanie clad wearing boy and a pastel sweater blonde with a high ponytail were making out, so he tapped on the window, and shook his finger at them when they looked up. They both had the decency to blush, but Joe just walked away.

When he got to the final booth, he was another familiar face: Deb. He opened the door and squatted down to her level, as she sat on the floor with a computer and a bunch of papers.

"I'm just doing the quarterly income tax returns," she spoke in explanation. "I'm almost done."

"Look Deb, if you need to talk about anything…" Joe trailed off hesitantly.

"Trying to fix me Joe? Okay, fix me. I'll listen." Deb threw her hands up in surrender.

"I meant like call your mother," Joe clarified.

Deb smirked at that. "Well, if you can find her, tell her I'd love to talk to her myself," Deb joked self-deprecatingly.

Joe swallowed awkwardly, not expecting Deb's candid response. "You're doing a good job, Deb," he stated clearly, giving her a real smile. Deb was speechless, but she kept eye contact with Joe until he turned and walked back to his office.

In the back, Corey stood just outside Joe's office, pacing nervously. She let him pass and enter the room without a glance, taking another moment to gain some courage before she entered.

"Hey Joe," Corey greeted him with a warm smile as she opened the creaking office door. "I was just thinking that I could be the one to bring Archie his lunch," Corey asked with a giggling grin.

Joe, who was only half listening and busying himself with organizing the papers on his desk, didn't look up as Corey spoke. "Birko is bringing him his lunch," Joe muttered softly, glancing up at her, confused as to why she was so happy.

Corey's smile dropped quickly, as she moved to stand directly in front of Joe. "You know that Birko is going to insult him right to his face!" Corey spoke urgently. "Let me do it, please. Please, Joe!" Corey pleaded, begging at this point.

Joe sighed deeply, dropping the papers and staring up at Corey. "Fine! I just don't want to hear about it anymore," Joe grumbled.

"Thanks Joe!" Corey nearly jumped for joy, her large smile returning. She exited the office quickly, letting the door slam shut as she bounded off the stairs and rushed off to prepare.

Corey entered the store room and immediately began setting the scene for the moment she had been envisioning for her entire life. She got out two white, vanilla scented candles and lit them in the middle of the small table to set the mood. Next, she selected the right comfy chair for Archie, after seeing his fit in the front of the store earlier. A little blue vase was carefully filled with hand-picked white daisies from beside the parking lot and placed next to Archie's water glass.

Finally finished, as she waited for Archie to appear, Corey practiced some sensual dance moves for Archie and put on some mood music. Suddenly, the door swung open and there was Archie. His red hair was still perfectly coifed, the letterman jacket secured on his shoulders and not wrinkled at all. Corey flashed him her most seductive smile as he adjusted his jacket and walked over to the table where his lunch was to be served.

"Well, this looks very elegant," Archie commented with a small smirk, as he sat down and prepared to enjoy the meal. "After all these signatures, I've worked up an appetite," Archie spoke, securing his napkin under his chin as Corey placed herself half sitting on the counter, her legs splayed open very suggestively.

"I think I've got everything. Thank you," Archie finished, not noticing Corey's antics and digging into his meal. After a beat of silence, he froze, realizing that Corey wasn't leaving.

"So, are you just going to sit there staring at me?" Archie asked snidely, gesturing with his fork in Corey's direction.

"Oh, I was just thinking that I used to imagine marrying you when your first album came out," Corey spoke in an aloof tone, rising from the counter and standing directly in front of Archie's table.

"Marrying me?" Archie said with a laugh as he went back to cutting up his chicken. "You must have been a kid back then," Archie quipped, not looking at Corey.

This made her even more determined. Gaining confidence to prove Archie wrong, Corey slowly lifted her gray sweater and peeled it from her pale skin, revealing her sinfully red lace bra which had been purchased just for this occasion. Corey dropped the sweater on the floor and glared at Archie with a sexy smirk. "I'm not a kid now," she spoke softly, running her fingers gently along her tummy.

Archie stared at her fingers through the locks of red hair that had fallen over his eyes, his expression not surprised. He flashed her a tiny smile. "How old are you," he muttered before looking to his food.

Corey took his as a good sign, so she reached for the two black buttons that held up her yellow plaid skirt and skillfully undid them, letting the fabric drop from her fingers to reveal a painfully virginal set of modest white underwear. "Old enough," Corey quipped, a knowing pout on her pink lips, her innocence shining in her eyes.

Archie hesitated for only a second before he dropped his utensils and pushed himself back from the table. "Awesome," he spoke, with a smarmy smile at Corey. Archie kept his eyes on her bra while he unzipped his fly and unbuttoned his jeans. "Let's see what you got sweetheart," he spoke happily, as he leaned back and waited for bliss.

Corey's whole innocent demeanor changed in a second. Her eyes bulged out as she stared down at Archie's pants, scowling as she realized what he wanted from her. In the millions of scenarios we played over and over in her head about this moment, Archie had never wanted this from her.

Feeling the humiliating creeping across her skin like a rash, Corey quickly dropped down and grabbed her discarded clothes, turning away from Archie to button her skirt as he continued to sit there, watching her and waiting expectantly. It wasn't until she left and slammed the door, her red bra still showing, that Archie realized she wasn't going to follow through.

Corey couldn't get out of there fast enough. She ran up to the rooftop, thankful that she hadn't run into any of her co-workers. She tossed her gray sweater over her head as she walked, her mind reeling from the crass rejecting she had just received from the supposed love of her life. It wasn't until she had properly righted her skirt and sweater and sat down hard on the bench that the sobs began to wrack her body. The gravity of her encounter with Archie finally came crashing down on her head like a ton of bricks and the tears couldn't escape fast enough. Her hands covered her face as she searched her mind for what she could have done to make him think she would do that for him.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Truth Comes Out

"Corey!" a familiar face chirped from nearby, startling her as she glanced up. Through her tears, she saw A.J. jogging over to her from the Empire Records roof sign. "What are you doing up here," he asked lightly as he reached her, but Corey couldn't bear to let him see her like this so she rose and turned away.

"Uh, taking a break," she answered weakly, continuing to move around to avoid his gaze.

"Wow, uh, it's weird you came up here but I really need to talk to you about something," A.J. continued nervously, moving to try and stand in front of her and wishing she would stop hiding her face.

"Not now please," Corey pleaded, her voice quivering with despair, but A.J. was adamant.

"Yes! Now! It has to be now," he basically screamed, all of his pent-up emotion and nervousness boiling over. "Listen," A.J. started, after taking a big breath and staring intently at the ground while Corey faced away from him. "You remember that really horrible day when Mark set off the store alarm and Gina got dumped by the Dennis guy and cried, and I drew a picture of him and Lucas made the voodoo doll and you wore that skirt that I hate? You, you remember that?" A.J. rambled anxiously, while Corey finally turned to look at him.

"What skirt?" Corey asked confused.

"The one with the flowers," A.J. moved his hands in between them, trying to remember.

"The blue skirt?" Corey asked, looking him in the eye. A.J. nodded. "You hate-" Corey cut herself off, covering her face with her hands and looking away again.

"Yeah, listen. I hate that skirt. But that skirt made me realize that- that," A.J. let out a long breath as Corey turned to look at him with her wide, confused eyes. "If I can love her in that skirt, then this must really be it," he finished, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders as the words he longed to say finally left his lips, directed at their intended target just feet away.

A.J. was really panting now, his breaths coming out uneven and he was rising hyperventilation if he didn't calm down. "Corey, I love you," he spoke again, unable to stop now that the words were out. That did it though, Corey's expression finally morphed into a look of complete and utter surprise, her eyebrows lifting almost to her hairline, her lips parted, her mind attempting to process this news.

"What?" she spoke slowly, all of her movements halted except her rapidly blinking eyes.

"I'm in love with you," A.J. spoke proudly his lips forming a beautiful smile as he felt his heart soar with each pass of those words over his lips. "Are you in love with me?" he asked tentatively, seeming to sense her shocked response, his happiness fading a bit, his insecurity creeping through and taking back control of his brain.

Corey whined loudly, turning away and shaking out her arms. "Please, please not now," she pleaded, close to tears once again. This cannot be happening. "I'm sorry but I can't handle this right now," she sniffed, her anxiety causing her breathing to eradicate.

"What?" A.J. spoke, his usually sweet tone turning angry in a flash. "You're telling me you could handle it some other time?" he asked incredulously as he walked up behind her.

Corey choked back a sob, dropped her hands from her face and turned to face A.J., their face just a few inches apart. "I just threw myself at Archie Andrews," Corey said calmly, explaining the situation as if those momentous words didn't shake the worlds of both teens standing on that rooftop. "I made a fool out of myself," Corey continued, the words following out of her mouth like vomit, unable to keep the details to herself a moment longer, unaware that each word was like a dagger through her best friend's heart.

A.J. felt like he had been shot in the chest at Corey's words, nearly doubling over from the pain, his face screwed up with a mixture of hurt, shock, and confusion. He turned away, unable to look at her as she continued to explain what had happened, but he tuned out in fear that his heart would never recover. "You what?" he choked out, more to himself, chancing a glance at her only to find that she had crouched on the ground and covered her face again.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked out from her perch. "I can't do this right now," she continued to sob, while A.J. just stood there in shock and regret. How had this moment gone so badly wrong?

"Just forget I said anything okay?" A.J. yelled out as he backed away from her. "Nothing happened!" he yelled as he ran off the rooftop and went down to the parking lot so he could wallow in silence, leaving Corey to sob on her perch in peace.

"Forget about Archie," Gina spoke seriously, shaking her head at Corey as the two girls sat at a nearby café. Corey had found Gina and convinced her to walk to the café for some much-needed girl talk away from the drama of the store.

"We'll get you another guy, okay?" Gina continued, finding it laughable that her friend was so devastated and thinking she wouldn't find another guy.

"I don't want another guy," Corey replied shortly. "I'm not like you with guys, I don't need to do what you do all the time," she quipped angrily, starring Gina in the eye.

Gina's happy façade crumbled instantly. "Oh. You mean not a turbo slut?! What are you saying, that I gotta do every guy I see," Gina's voice rose with each word, the hurt coursing through her veins.

"Well, you certainly seem to enjoy it," Corey snarked back, with a telling smirk. Gina's jaw dropped a bit at her friends' directness.

"Well, what did you do? Did you go over there and act all perfect? All better than everyone? You think guys like you for that?" Gina screamed in Corey's face.

"Maybe not, but at least they don't do it with me and then go off and laugh," Corey threw back, the venom of her words piercing Gina's uncaring attitude towards feelings and really hitting her. Gina loudly got up from the table and stomped away, leaving Corey there to drop her head to the table, having a second friendship in the same afternoon. She didn't lift her head until she spied a familiar looking pair of sneakers sitting at her table.

Back on the main floor, Gina slipped back into her carefree attitude and managed to snag a seat next to Archie, who has back to signing autographs for his adoring fans. She was really laying it on thick, too.

"It's this superpower that I have. I can tell what kind and what color,' Gina teased with a sexy smile at Archie, who passed back a record to a fan without glancing at Gina.

"Alright. What am I wearing now," Archie asked, going along with Gina's game easily.

"Jockeys. Navy blue," Gina answered confidently, not looking away from Archie. He gave her a side glance, trying to keep the impressed smile on his lips from reaching too high. "Am I right?" She teased in a knowing voice, leaning in a bit closer. "Why don't you check it out and let me know," she teased again. Uncrossing her legs and making a show of rising from her chair, her skirt opening wide at the back as she twirled away from Archie. All he could do was stare, with interest.

A few minutes later, Gina found herself alone in the storeroom, a bit nervous, but knowing that Archie would definitely take the bait she dropped in front of him. She didn't have to wait long. The door swung open again and there stood Archie, slipping into the room with ease, closing the door without a sound behind him. His letterman jacket was off, hanging loosely in the fingers of his left hand. He didn't speak or immediately move closer to Gina until she beckoned him forward with a smirk.

He obeyed and stepped up in front of her. "And now the million-dollar question," he smirked with a predatory glint in his eyes. Without a word, Gina reached forward and undid his jeans, letting him drop down his thighs a bit, of which there was no protest. Next, she lifted the edge of his shirt to reveal a navy-blue pair of jockeys. Gina's smile was wide and bright when she looked back up at Archie, who was giving her his own sexy smirk.

Betty Cooper was sitting across from Corey, a sympathetic smile on her face, and a look of hopeful concern in her eyes. Her hands were clasped in front of her as she locked eyes with Corey.

"Gina came storming into the back room, ranting about your encounter with Archie…" Betty trailed off, looking down at the table to avoid Corey's shocked expression. Betty looked back up, a new determination in her features.

"Can I tell you something? Something I think would really help you?" Betty asked shyly. "Sure. Anything," Corey revealed, her voice softening as she brought her full attention to Betty, turning her whole body to ensure the blonde she was listening.

Betty pressed her lips together for a brief moment as she gathered her thoughts. She heaved a big sigh, mentally preparing to reveal something she promised herself she'd never bring up again. Not since telling Jughead. Betty focused her eyes on Corey's face, her curious glance growing as Corey's eyes examined her face carefully, trying to deduce what Betty was about to reveal. Betty would have smirked at their similarities if she was trying to push down the shame of her next words.

"I used to have the biggest crush on Archie Andrews," Betty finally spoke softly, pausing as she watched Corey's face go from curious to surprised to shocked. Her eyebrows shot up, her brown eyes widened noticeably, and then her jaw actually dropped down. Betty swallowed down the giggle in her throat at the comical reaction she had received and pushed on.

"I know," Betty sighed, cringing slightly. "But we are from the same town so I was always surrounded by him or people that knew him and I just..." Betty paused again and turned her gaze out to the street, her eyes glancing around at the sky as she searched for the right term. "I thought, naively, that he was the first real great love of my life," Betty finished, glancing back to Corey who was sitting so still Betty thought she could have been a wax figure dressed like a stunned 18-year-old girl.

"Wait…used to?" Corey asked slowly, still trying to put the puzzle pieces of this information together.

"Yeah," Betty grinned widely, positively glowing with happiness. "Then I saw Jughead. Like really saw him," Betty explained with a happy tone, like recalling a fond memory. "He kissed me and all of a sudden it was like the blinders came off and I saw how he'd always been there for me, how we grew up together and he really knew me," Betty continued, beaming at the memories shining in her eyes. "After that, there was no one else. There will be no one else." She explained her voice firm and delighted.

Suddenly, Corey felt like she had been in a bubble that had suddenly burst. Archie Andrews was a stranger. A.J. wasn't.

Outside in the parking lot, A.J. was going what he knew best. Art. It was his thing. His creative outlet. The one thing that never let him down. And right now, it was exactly what he needed. A.J. was busy mixing colors to add to the mural painted on the back of the store, and he was so wrapped up in that, he didn't hear the back door swing open or Corey approach him. He also didn't look up when she spoke.

"Hey. That looks really nice," Corey's sweet voice spoke as she came to lean against the post next to where A.J. was hunched over his paints.

"Don't," A.J. spoke harshly without moving his gaze from his work, trying to swallow the large lump that had lodged itself in his throat. "Don't act like nothing happened," A.J. continued in a tortured voice, not looking up.

"A.J. when you told me that before, I just freaked because…I haven't thought of you like that…I mean you're my best friend," Corey tried to explain in a calm tone. That only served to upset A.J. more.

"That's bullshit," A.J. nearly sneered at her, finally looking up at her beautiful face, close to his and needing to get some more space. He walked away shaking his head, feeling even worse than when he had uttered those fateful words on the rooftop.

Corey stood rooted to the spot, clearly not expecting that reaction. She could feel herself spiraling a bit, so you clutched the small metal tube she always carried in her hand, popped the lid and deposited one, small white tablet in her palm, which seconds later was swimming down her throat. She recapped the lid and sighed deeply, unsure of her next move.


	8. Chapter 8 - Everything Unravels

Deb sat on the floor of the back room, focused on the task at hand: buttons. She sat with her legs crossed, a big bag full of made buttons placed in front of her, while the unmade pieces lay haphazardly on either side of her. She grasped the button machine with one hand placing the newest graphic on the button and sliding the back of the button into the side slot. Then she turned the machine horizontal, and pushed in, hearing the unmistakable sound of metal crashing together with a satisfying click.

She righted the machine and out fell the newly made button, a yellow background with the word Archie is blue, and a large red circle with a slash through it. She tossed the button across from her but it missed the bag and landed in the lap of Jughead Jones, who chuckled lightly to himself as he fingered the button, secretively stashing it in his jacket, which Deb pretended she didn't see.

They continued to make buttons in silence, Jughead really just picked up made buttons and read them with a laugh or an eye roll, but then he spotted a familiar shape: a crown. There was a small crown image laying half under a sheet of paper next to Deb's right leg. It looked like it was a row of three crowns but one was missing. Jughead's heart lurched when the thought occurred to him to make that button, and the lovely blonde who could wear it.

He must have been staring at it intensely, since his gaze was jolted away from his by the feeling of a second button hitting him in the chest. He looked down and saw the silver back of a button, so he reached down and turned it over in his right hand. There, staring back at him was a crown. Jughead tried to keep the smile off his face as he slowly looked up to Deb and back to the button, as she had continued making buttons like she hadn't just read his mind and given him what he wanted.

She was a woman of few words and a tough personality to crack, which made her actions all the more telling. But staring down at that button, Jughead's lips quirked up into a content smile, while his chest bubbled with happiness at the radiant smile he imagined crossing her beautiful face. Tracing the crown with his fingers and committing it to memory was like second nature, the black outline was bold but made the grey of the beanie stand out like a beacon of importance.

Looking back to Deb, who was watching his expression with cautious optimism, Jughead not only knew he had made a true ally, but that his words had effective changed the mind of someone who had experienced similar social issues and just needed to know the light at the night of the tunnel existed. He would cherish this button, knowing the events and conversations that led to its creation and the memory would always be a happy one for him. This symbolic button, his symbol of safety, that encapsulated his life's journey through hardship and eventually to love, would look perfect on Betty's cardigan.

Jughead was pulled from his thoughts again, when Deb suddenly got up from the floor, her fingers filled with buttons that she had been carefully putting aside during their making. Without a word, Deb walked away, while Jughead decided it was a wonderful moment to give his girlfriend her newest accessory.

Deb walked swiftly over to the cash register, her notoriously blank face masking her feelings. "One for Miss Teen America," she quipped happily, handing out a button to Corey.

"Dishonesty?" Corey asked snidely, "What's that supposed to mean?" She sent a harsh glare to Deb, who ignored it and just shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe A.J. can help you," Deb said, who had moved on to Mark.

"And one for the man with the band," she stated, holding out a button to Mark, who looked elated and took the button eagerly.

"Marc sucks!" Mark giggled, happy to have a button for his band even if it was a mean one from Deb.

Deb flashed him a small smile and rushed over to the record player where A.J. was standing. "Hey A.J., I made you a button," Deb stated. "Stupid!"

"Deb!" AJ. Chirped happily. "You're just in time. Surprise!" A.J. announced, flicking the button on the record player. The store suddenly erupted with the sounds of Archie's latest single, which A.J. immediately began dancing horribly to.

"No! Veto! Veto! I'm not listening to this!" Deb yelled, covering her ears, but A.J. just danced around her before jumping up on the counter. He tried to get Deb more into dancing with him, but Deb just pushed him off the counter easily with a laugh. Corey tried not to watch the obvious fun they were having.

The store had been emptying out of Archie Andrews fans, so A.J. grabbed Deb's hand and pulled her to an empty section of music shelves and they danced suggestively together with wild abandon. Most of the customers and employees just watched, except for Gina and Archie.

They were busy hooking up in the store room as fast as they could. At least Archie's music drowned out the noises they were making, and they wouldn't even be found out if Gina could keep quiet.

Mark and Lucas even joined in on the fun, finding two women to twirl around on the floor with, both clearly Archie Andrews' fans, but loving the attention anyway. Meanwhile, Deb was really getting into the dance, stripping A.J of his shirt and nearly kissing him, their bodies less than an inch apart, as their dancing got sexier. Corey was seeing red.

Joe walked out to see the impromptu dance party happening in the store, which shocked him speechless. For a moment. "Having fun?!" he yelled, and most the employees immediately glanced up at him and stopped what they were doing. Mark hurried over and cut the music.

"Don't let me stop you," Joe hollered. "Keep dancing! But you should do it now, because by next week this is going to be a Music Town! And they don't allow dancing!" Joe continued, glaring at his employees with his hands on his hips.

Lucas, who had retrieved the couch cushion, dared to walk closer to Joe. "What are we going to do instead, Joe?" he asked, a but defeated by the day.

"What am I going to do with you?" Joe asked loudly. "Sent him to the police? To jail? Who do you think he's going to come to when he wants bail? Me! So, what should I do?" Joe asked again, lowering his voice in complete disgust. Lucas just stared silently.

"Don't worry, Joe. You're a superb manager. You will make the right choice," Lucas answered evenly.

"Really," Joe replies, done with Lucas's attitude and games. "Keep it up Lucas," Joe warned, moving closer.

"Superb," Lucas spoke again, effectively snapping Joe's patience. He reaches out and grabs the back of Lucas's black sweater, pulling the teenager from the main room and walking him back to his office. All the while, Lucas is yakking about the pain in his shoulder, trying to get Joe to let go.

Once inside the office, door slammed, Birko, A.J., Jughead, Betty and Deb watched from the back room. They can't tell what's going on, but by the way Lucas is yelling out both Joe's name and the word no, and the way the office blinds keep getting disrupted, it's not a pleasant fight. After a few minutes, the door flew open and Lucas tumbled down the small stairs, landing on his back, a small cut on his lip, as Joe stood above him in the office doorway.

Joe walked over to Lucas, helped him up and handed him a cloth to hold against his face. "You deserved that, you know?" Joe told Lucas as the watched the teenager wince.

"I know," Lucas answered in a low voice, adjusting the cloth on his face. Joe turned and looked at his other employees. "Where's Archie?" he asked quietly.

"I've got a better question, Joe. Where's Gina?" Deb countered, raising her eyebrows.

Joe blinked and looked around finally noticing the noises coming from the store room and realized what was happening. Joe stood near the door to the store room in silence, staring at it with his arms crossed. His other employees moved to the other side of the room, Lucas taking his usual spot on the couch.

Suddenly, Corey entered the back room from the main floor, exclaiming that she wasn't feeling well and wanted to do home early. "Can I count out now?" she asked meekly as she passed Joe, heading straight for the store room. Everyone, including Joe was speechless, unsure of how to convey the situation to Corey, who they all knew would be deeply hurt.

Corey made it to the door and tried the handle, confused to find it locked. The noises had ceased, so she turned around and looked at everyone else for an explanantion. "Why is this door locked?" Corey asked with a shaky laugh, feeling that she was missing something important. "Where's Gina?" she asked again, looking around the room for her friend. "Where's Archie?" she asked again, much flatter, the silence of her fellow employees confirming her fears. Corey's face turned stoney as the store room door finally opened.

Gina came out first, her top still a bit haphazard, stilling when she saw the back of her best friend Corey. She quickly walked back out to the front, while Archie sauntered out, his leather jacket off and thrown over one shoulder. He paused as he went to walk past Joe. "What no applause?" he quipped with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

Betty's eyes widened and her jaw dropped at that, before shaking her head in disgust that she ever liked him. Jughead balled his fist and groaned deeply, pissed that his guy was what Riverdale was known for outside the small town and beyond maple syrup lovers.

A.J. moved first, diving for Archie and impressively pinning him to the couch, which Lucas vacated easily. Joe immediately moved to get A.J. off, not because Archie didn't deserve it, but because he didn't want A.J. arrested. Even Corey screamed that Archie wasn't worth it, and Betty felt a small tinge of pride that her words that permeated Corey's mind.

"Take your bag and get the hell out of my store," Joe threatened at Archie, his tone low and dangerous and he towered over the once popular teen singer.

"Where's Jane?" Archie asked stupidly, his appearance disheveled.

"She quit pal," Joe answered smoothly.

"What?" Archie asked surprised. Joe ignored him and helped A.J. up, looking at his face carefully, knowing that he would have a huge shiner.

The rest of the staff chimed in with things they didn't like about Archie, finally pleased to not have to fake nice. Archie huffed in frustration and quickly exited the building, not looking back.

Gina sat on the small table near the couch in silence, while everyone else railed on her for sleeping with Archie. "I hate you," Corey quipped as she passed by, heading back out onto the main floor.

"How could you? With Archie Andrews?" came Eric's response, who had entered the room just after Corey but was too caught up in the drama to comment until then.

"Gina, you better go home," Joe said carefully, still looking over A.J. Gina looked over at him in complete surprise.

"Am I fired?" she asked incredulously, sitting up straighter on the table.

"Have I fired anyone today? No," Joe answered simply, still tending to A.J.'s face.

Corey suddenly burst back into the room, rounding on Gina. "So is this how your life's going to be now? You're just going to screw every has been until they don't want you anymore?" Corey nearly screamed.

Sensing the fight that was about to break out both A.J. and Joe looked at the girls, sighed deeply and leaned their heads against their arms in unison.

"At least I don't hide what I am!" Gina growled right in Corey's face. "At least I'm not some closet drug addict! Right COREY?!" Gina was shrieking, having jumped to her feet, while Corey looked away at the mention of drugs.

"You think I don't know what you do?" Gina sneered angrily as Corey just stared in shock. Gina moved to take Corey's backpack out of her cubby. "Stop it!" Corey yelled before, but making no attempt to stop Gina.

Gina grabbed Corey's silver metal tin. "What are these, huh?" Gina hollered, shaking the tin in her fist high in the air. Gina moved to stand beside Corey, uncapping the tin to reveal the white pills Corey had stashed there. "Speed? Breath mints? Diet pills?" Gina was still yelling, throwing out the pills on the carpet, while Corey hurried to the floor to round them up.

"I'd be chewing down speed to if I wanted to be perfect!" Gina screamed, kicking some of the pills with her feet, while Corey covered her face and leaned down into the carpet in tears. "You're so perfect! You have to be so perfect!" Gina's voice broke and she descended into angry tears, as Joe can over to calm her down. Gina eventually calmed, sitting on the couch and Joe moved over to Corey.

"It's going to be okay," Joe said gently, touching Corey's back softly.

"It's not okay! It's not going to be okay!" Corey was screaming, jumping up and immediately running to the main floor and destroying everything in her path. She shoved records off the shelves, pushed the record player off the counter, destroyed the life-sized photo of Archie with her bare hands, all the while screaming wildly at the top of her lungs. It took Joe, Eric, Birko and Mark holding her to finally calm her down.


	9. Chapter 9 - Making Amends

The next thing Corey felt with cold against her face. She was leaned over the sink in the small employee bathroom, her face half submerged in ice cold water, her face being held back by Deb. When Deb pulled her back up, Corey stared blankly at her pale face in the little mirror, while Betty dabbed her with a clean washcloth.

"So I guess nobody has it all together," Deb said sadly, staring at Corey's face while Betty cleaned it. "I feel like I should welcome you to the neighborhood or something," she finished with an eye roll and a slight head shake. A tiny smile quirked up on the edges of Corey's lips at that, and even Betty formed a bright smile at the words.

"So anyway, did you really imagine that your first time would be in the store room with Archie Andrews?" Deb asked in a curious tone, as Betty finished dabbing Corey's face. "Pumping against the safe? Among the boxes of receipts and extra labels? Oh Archie, you're sooo sexy!" Deb mimicked in a teasing voice, which got chuckles from both Betty and Corey.

Corey's covered her face briefly to end her laughter, looking up to give Deb a curious glance. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Corey asked, tilting her head to the left.

Deb pushed off the wall and gave Corey a knowing stare. "Let's save the Hallmark moment," she quipped, winking at her and Betty before exiting the bathroom, leaving the girls to roll their eyes at her usual quirkiness.

In the back room, which had cleared out after the fight and the meltdown, Mark sat on the table eating his brownies. Gwar's "Sadam A-Go-Go" music video was playing on television, and Mark was riveted. He was shaking his head vigorously, in between bites of brownie, eyes glued to the television.

To his left, on the couch, sat Jughead, cross legged with his laptop open. Jughead was hunched over the types, eyes low and locked on Mark. Every once in a while, Jughead would look down and type intently, writing Mark's experience right onto the pages.

"Hey Mark!" the lead singer yelled at him, startling Mark so much he nearly choked on the brownie. "Why don't you join the band?" he yelled at Mark. Stunned, Mark blinked rapidly and looked over to Jughead for confirmation, but Jughead was busy writing. Looking back at the screen, Mark saw himself playing guitar amongst the costume wearing band members in the video, a big smile on his face, and having the time of his life.

"You're really good at guitar, Mark," he yelled again. "Too bad, you have to die!" Suddenly Mark was pulled from his feet and deposited into the mouth of a large, green monster who had appeared behind him on stage, while the rest of the band cheered.

Back on the table, Mark's smile dropped and his jaw shut quickly. Mark closed his eyes, before opening them slowly, avoiding looking at his death. Next to him, Jughead was grinning devilishly, very aware he was witnessing something special, her fingers flying across the keys.

Mark looked back at the screen, to see himself continue being eaten and giggled once again. He bit into another brownie and continued watching the television as though nothing had happened.

Back in his office, Joe was on the phone on hold, when there was a knock on his office door, which was open. He looked up and met the eyes of Veronica Lodge, as she shot him a smile. "You need a new night manager?" she teased. "What are you doing later?" she asked, obviously hitting on him.

Joe sighed but provided a gentle smile. "Either jail or hell, I can't decide," he answered honesty.

"Well, whatever you're doing, you want to have dinner with me first?" Veronica quipped, looking at Joe knowingly.

"Sure," Joe answered, not looking away from her, as he dropped the phone.

A.J. sat dejectedly at the top of the staircase in the back room, which led up to the rooftop. He didn't look up when he heard boots behind him, of the swish of leather as the person sat down on the step just above him.

"Hey A.J., do you know where Harvard is?" Jughead asked, inquisitively.

A.J. sighed deeply, not in the mood to talk. "It's near Boston," he muttered.

"No, it's on another planet, man. Completely unlike the world we know, right now," Jughead spoke adamantly. "It's filled with stuffy intellectuals, horrible accents, and guys who could outsmart you with words at every corner," Jughead continued, leaning in.

"That's why you need to make things right with Corey now, man. Or she will be gone forever and you will never know," Jughead spoke intently.

"Yeah, what do you know about it?" A.J. asked in a bored tone. Jughead sighed and quickly decided not to launch into the long version of the story.

"Betty has been in love with Archie Andrews for years. One day, after being her friends all her life, I climbed in her bedroom window and I kissed her," Jughead spoke in a light tone, happiness filling his features at the memory. "I never told her my speech about being in love with her my whole life, I just kissed her," he paused to take a breath. "And that was everything." He finished with a proud tone.

A.J. sat as still as a statue on the stairs, and without looking back at Jughead he got up and walked away.

Meanwhile, at the drawing table in the back room, Betty, Corey and Lucas sat with their heads together, drawing on some pieces of black paper. Corey smoothed out the paper and folded it like a card. Betty quickly uncapped a silver marker and slide the card over in front of her to draw a gravestone, complete with some flowers.

Betty passed the marker back to Corey, who wrote "RIP DEB" on the headstone with a focused look in her eye.

"A funeral?" Lucas quipped with a slight tone of interest, crossing his arms and leaning in to see the card better. "Is Debra not with us anymore?" he asked in a curious tone.

"If Deb wants to die, let's show her what a real funeral would be like," Corey stated evenly.

"Let's get planning!" Betty quipped in excited, leaving the other two to continue staring at the card.

Later, Corey adjusted the makeshift cross on the table and light the extra white candles in the store room to set the mood. Betty was busy laying out a white sheet with a comfortable pillow for Deb's head.

After they were done, everyone trickled into the room, Corey having convinced Deb to lay on the table and pretend to be dead. Corey stood at the head, standing over Deb, with Lucas, Betty, Jughead, Eric, Joe and Birko standing in a circle around the table.

"We're gathered here today to pay our last respects to Debra. She left us and never said why. But I'm really going to miss her," Corey spoke first, a sincere tone lacing her words as Deb tried to keep her eyes closed.

"Dog shit," Deb spoke quickly, not opening her eyes.

"Hey, dead people aren't supposed to talk," Betty said gently.

"Deb, I just-, I just want you to stay," Birko spoke softly, his voice hesitant, the vulnerability in his voice sounding foreign to his ears. Deb opened her eyes and rolled them visibly, rather annoyed.

"Well is it better to know, or not to know?" A.J. spoke cryptically, Jughead smothering his smirk at A.J.'s question with his hand over his mouth. "See, I want to go to art school, but I'm afraid," A.J. continued honestly, his mind still on Jughead's words.

"Uh, I hate this funeral," Deb sighed out, more to herself than everyone else.

Back out on the floor, Mark was swamped with customers on the main floor, struggling to keep up with the volume of customers, and answering the constantly ringing phone. Fed up and feeling the pressure from the angry waiting customers, he hit the intercom button and his plea for help was heard throughout the store. A.J. sighed and offered to go help him out.

"I really miss Gina," Corey offered in the silence of A.J.'s departure.

"Aren't we supposed to be talking about me?" Deb quipped sarcastically, looking up at her with a glare.

"I just can't stop thinking about her. She's just so full of life, and she's not afraid to be herself, and I wish I could be like that," Corey continued, not realizing Gina had edged into the room.

Gina walked fully into the space, coming to stand next to Corey. "You're not like me. You're getting out of here," Gina explained confidently. "I want to sing in a band, but I don't have the guts, you know?" she continued. "I should. I know if I don't do something I'll end up like my mother and be stuck here," she finished quietly.

"You'll never be like your mother if you don't want to me like your mother," Corey nearly whispered in response. "You'll be fine," she finished, shooting Gina a small smile.

"That is so sweet I'm going to barf," Deb announced flatly, trying to get up but Betty and Corey pushed her back down.

Lucas cleared his throat, "I wet my bed until I was 10," he spoke clearly. "My mom also gave me up when I was 10. Three years later, Joe came. And he took me in and I became the person I am today," he finished proudly, looking over at Joe, and then to Veronica who was hovering by the door.

Deb had finally had enough. "Look, I tried to kill myself," she revealed quietly, showing the scars on her wrist to everyone, although Jughead was the only one who visibly stiffened. Betty grabbed his hand under the table and stroked it reassuringly. "I used a pink plastic razors with daisies on it. It took me forever just to get through my skin," she explained, her eyes more shocked than annoyed. "I was just really tired of being invisible," Deb whispered, not making eye contact.

"We love you Debra," Corey replied, kissing the top of her forehead. After a few beats of silence, Deb sighed again.

"This funeral sucked, by the way," Deb snarked, trying to lighten the mood as always.

"Be glad it's not real because you weren't even talked about but once," Jughead spoke in a dry tone. Deb laughed audibly and got up from the table, leaving the funeral in much better spirits than she expected.


	10. Chapter 10 - Unexpected Events

A.J. was busy in the front of the store helping the customers check out, so he didn't look up when the front door chimed. If he had, he would have a seen a familiar face: Warren. I maroon jacket wearing kid was back, and he was hiding a sleek metal gun behind his back. He walked up to the register and got A.J.'s attention.

"Warren, get out of the store," A.J. spoke, annoyed, gesturing for him to leave.

Warren just laughed and held up the gun. "You can't tell me what to do, A.J.!" Warren quipped in a mocking tone.

"What are you doing with a gun?" A.J. asked, taking a step back, looking confused.

"What do you think I'm doing with the gun?" Warren yelled, pointing the gun at A.J.

Back in the storeroom everyone was still gathered in silence, which quickly changed when they heard a shot rang out.

"Holy shit!" Warren screamed in shock, pulling the gun back down and staring at it in his hands. A.J. had ducked under the table and rose to see what Warren would do next. The shot had missed by a mile.

"Hey, why don't you let these people go? What do you say Warren?" A.J. tried to reason, as the scared customers had dropped to the floor and hidden behind the record shelves.

"Good try, A.J. Good try, trying to fool me, man!" Warren yelled, moving around to make sure people stayed where they were and firing into the ceiling.

In the back, Joe crept up to the back doors and surveyed the main floor, as everyone else lined up behind him. "It's Warren, he's shooting up the place," Joe explained as he warned them to stay back. "A.J.'s fine," he threw out, at Corey's yelp of concern. Betty and Jughead clutched to each other, while Gina and Corey huddled on the couch, while the rest of the boys were behind Joe.

"Jane, call 911," Joe spoke harshly as he moved to walk out to the floor.

"Joe! Hey Joe!" Warren screamed, jumping over towards the manager, keeping the gun pointed at the customers. "You told me not to come back, well here I am!" he announced with a wide grin and a hefty laugh.

"Give me the gun Warren," Joe asked nicely, stepping right up in front of him. In response, Warren simply fired it past Joe's shoulder. Suddenly, Deb walked out and stood in front of Joe, moving forward in a commanding manner, Warren pointing the gun at her chest as he backed up with each step she took.

"I wanted to have a chat with you Warren," she quipped aloofly.

"Have a little chat with my gun," Warren snarked back, pushing the gun closer to her.

Deb leaned in closer, her eyes level and inches from the barrel. "What do you want Warren?" she mocked with a slight smirk on her lips.

Warren huffed in frustration and threw both his hands up in the air. "STOP CALLING ME WARREN! My name isn't fucking WARREN!" he screamed, stomping his feet angrily.

"His name isn't Warren," chimed Eric.

"His name isn't Warren?" Corey asked in a whisper.

"I thought his name was Warren?" Mark added, confused.

"So, I talked to God, and he says 'Yo, what's up?' and she wants you to lose the gun," Deb explained easily, still walking forward.

"You are psycho! What the hell is wrong with you people?" Warren screamed, shaking his head, still pointing the gun at Deb. Everyone else began to trickle out of the back, coming to stand around Joe and Deb.

"Forget you guys, I don't need you. You think you're so happy cuz you work in a freaking record store!" he yelled, jumping around again.

"Hey Joe, Lucas steals $9,000 from you and you don't do dick to him?! So you gonna give me a job now?" he reasoned, his voice still rising with each word.

"That's it Warren? You want to work in a record store?" Birko asked at Joe's silence.

"You're lying, Warren," added Lucas, who popped up next to Warren, startling him, but he still held the gun.

Warren looked upset, his face crumbling from his confident stare to a scared whimper. "He's not gonna give me a job, man," Warren reasoned to Lucas. "Why should he?" Warren stared at Lucas in despair.

"He gave me a job," Lucas spoke calmly. With Warren distracted, Joe grabbed the gun easily form Warren's hands. After a beat of silence, the police sirens began blaring in the background, approaching the store rapidly.

Warren turned to face Joe, his posture dejected, but still lifted his head to look Joe in the eye. "So do I get the job?" he asked simply. Lucas genuinely smiled.

In the back room, A.J. carefully placed the name Warren on the name badge for Empire Records.

Meanwhile, the police were holding Warren in almost the same spot they were holding him earlier in the back room. Everyone else was gathered around the couches and tables listening.

"Wait, I thought your name wasn't Warren? Can you make up your mind!" Jughead spoke in outrage, towards Warren.

"Considering that he's a minor, and he put blanks in the gun, there's not a lot they can do to him," the cop explained to Joe.

"Thanks a lot officers," Joe said kindly from the steps near his office.

"Take care Warren!" Lucas chirped from the couch.

"Wait a minute," A.J. interjected, jumping up with the badge in his hand, approaching Warren. "I made this for you," he explained, holding up the badge and trying to put it over Warren's head.

"Wait! Can you hold it here for me? So, when I get back..?" Warren asked quietly. A.J. nodded and backed off, letting the police take him.

"Don't drop the soap," Lucas supplied helpfully as Warren was led away.

Joe headed back into his office, needing to call Cheryl about the disturbance and the ensuing police report.

Deb suddenly dropped down on the couch next to Lucas, throwing a bucket with some money in it on Lucas's lap. He stared down at it in pure confusion.

"It's $1900," Deb smirked.

"Here's $600 left over from the Archie Andrews expense account," Jane supplied, tossing the money over.

"I got about $30 from Debra's buttons," Mark added, while everyone else scrambled for their own money to put in the bucket. When Joe returned he even tossed in his Rolex watch. Deb was busy counting the money so far, and they were still about $6,000 short.

"It's not about the money okay?" Lucas revealed with a sniffle. "I thought I knew what I was doing by I didn't, okay. I give up," he looked over at Joe, completely serious. "Call Cheryl," Lucas demanded. Everyone was silent, surprised by Lucas's choice.

Marc suddenly moved to the front of the group, getting their attention. "Um, give me a couple seconds!" he announced, before running out to the front of the store.

Out on the sidewalk, a news crew was set up covering the story of Warren's arrest. Mark quickly ran out and came to a stop next to the reporter. "I saw the whole thing go down. I work here," Mark announced, getting the reports interest.

Eric, who had started to follow Mark, ran back to tell everyone to turn on the television. Suddenly the group was watching Mark on the news, right outside the store, attempting to explain wat happened with Warren.

"Well there was this guy here and he freaked out, but it doesn't matter now. We are having a get together!" Mark announced happily on camera. Free admission, live music, the whole nine yards, man! Here at midnight!" Mark yelled, as the reported attempted to get him out of the shot.

"Damn the man! Save the Empire!" Mark yelled with a giggle, stepping in front of the reporter. Everyone in the back room turned slowly to look at Joe, who just shrugged. It was after a beat of silence that everyone sprung into action.


	11. Chapter 11 Damn the Man! Save the Empire

Betty and A.J. quickly went to work designing and drawing out a cool flyer, with Betty printing our copies as fast as she could. Mark and Lucas assembled some records to play and sprayed out the Music Town logo on the aprons. Birko, Eric, Jughead, and Gina went to work setting up the sidewalk with artwork from the store and a table to take donations from.

Deb even pulled out a chair and a large, plastic jar which she set at her feet. A small, blue sign saying "Give us your money' was leaned against the chair as Deb reclined. Corey was out front making her own sign asking for donations. When she started to price small pottery pieces for $10, Veronica quickly came over and doubled the price, explaining that they needed to make money.

A.J. and Mark carried out some large murals just as people started to pull up in the street for the event. Bills were casually added to Deb's jar as people passed by her on the way in to the store, for which they were given a grateful smile.

Birko and Gina were busy installing band equipment up on the edge of the roof, overlooking the store front, for an impromptu concert. They set up the drums together, while Gina mentally prepared for her singing debut.

Jughead and Eric were on the sidewalk, talking to some little kids about music, showing them vinyl records and launching into deep explanations about their importance. _Got to start music fans young._

As the night progressed, more and more people flocked to the store, the crowd spilling from the streets into the store. Each employee was busy selling memorabilia, artwork or records to the eager crowd. It was a fun event for all, a secret block party that reunited die hard music fans and the heart of the vinyl record industry.

Mark's friends arrived with an army of kegs for the party, setting them up on one of the tables. A.J. and Mark were then responsible for selling beer for $5 a cup on the street for the rest of the night, despite not having a permit. Due to the music loving heart of the public, it wasn't even their biggest seller of the night, but it did put the event over its goal, saving Lucas.

Music fans old and young mingled through the night, everyone bonding over the importance of the store. Cheryl Blossom took one look at the crowd and just saw a fine, as she struggled through the throngs of people to get through the front door.

"Joe! What is going on here?!" Cheryl yelled as she burst through the back room doors. "Why do I feel like you are screwing me over?" Cheryl rolled her eyes at him, as she stood defiantly in front of him.

"Because I am, Cheryl," Joe said smoothly, throwing his leather jacket on and walking over to her from his office. "There was no money in the bag. One of my employees needed it," Joe explained in a calm tone.

"Who?" Cheryl nearly choked out, ready to kill the person who had her money.

Lucas emerged from the back door, greeting Cheryl warmly, although she forgot who he was again.

"Lucas. I still work here," he quipped in a flat tone, coming to stand next to Joe. "Next week you will be the proud owner of one of many Music Towns across our great nation," Lucas began, while Cheryl huffed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "You like that because it will make you more money, right?" he inquired.

"Yes. Smart boy," Cheryl spoke in her tone of fake happiness.

"Well, when that happens, Joe is out. A.J. is out. All of our tattooed, gum chewing freaks are out as well," Lucas explained in a simple tone.

"What's your point?" Cheryl asked condescendingly, throwing up her hands and stomping her heels.

"What Lucas is saying is that I'm opening my own store," Joe explained, staring at Cheryl intently.

Cheryl smirked. "You don't have the money," she sneered with a smile.

"No, I don't. But I will," Joe revealed. "Cheryl, I quit," Joe deadpanned, as he and Lucas walked out towards the front to enjoy the party, without another word.

Back on the roof, the band had finally set up, with Birko's voice booming through the mic and blaring out into the street, bringing a new life to the large crowd. People cleared space in the street for a massive dance party, with people head banging and swaying wildly to the beat. A bunch of hippies even showed up, nearly taking over the crowd with their numbers. Lucas even got Joe to loosen up and dance in the street and enjoy the music celebration.

All of the employees paused for a bit when they heard a new voice singing the lyrics to "Sugar High." It was Gina. She was fulfilling her dream of singing in a band and loving every minute of it. She was killing her notes, bopping her head, her smile wide and genuinely happy.

Mark and Corey jumped up and down in surprise at Gina continued to sing, and even Deb cracked a smile for her fellow employee. If that wasn't enough of a surprise, Betty suddenly appeared on the roof, aided by Jughead, and Gian welcomed her up to the mic. Her usual blonde ponytail was gone, her long blonde tresses flowing down her shoulders as she danced along to the beat. Jughead was beaming up at her from the street, his grin nearly breaking his face, looking at her in such adoration.

Back inside, Cheryl was at the register, her clothing a bit frazzled, her hair mussed, as she stood frantic at the register. She had never worked in retail and it was hell for her now. She was overwhelmed with people and orders, not even able to open the register.

"Doesn't anyone work here?" she called out angrily into the mob of people waiting to pay. Suddenly a teenager popped up behind her, wearing a dark maroon jacket and a wide grin. He was holding up a name tag that was secured around his neck, the name Warren present on it.

Back outside, Corey wandered around in the crowd looking for A.J. She looked up and spotted him up on the roof top again, attempting to fix the still broken light sign. She screamed his name, but he was unable to hear her over Birko's guitar solo, so she resolved to head up there herself.

Joe, happy with the turnout, pulled the full jar of money from in front of Deb and headed inside the store. He found Cheryl standing in the middle of an aisle, randomly screaming at people. She turned to face him and Joe handed over the whole jar of money.

"Here's your money," Joe explained quietly, leaning in so she could hear him.

"Joe," Cheryl said in her fake polite tone. "I hate this place. You love it. Let me sell it to you," she quipped sincerely, looking a bit relieved.

Joe smiled and clapped a hand on Cheryl's shoulder. "Thanks, Cheryl. You won't regret it," Joe revealed, turning to walk away.

Up on the roof, Corey had finally reached the top and looked for A.J. He spotted her when her feet disrupted the pavement, immediately moving to stand in front of her as she approached. What he was not expecting was the shove to the ground he received once she was close enough.

"You're so talented and you're so special and you're so stupid that you don't know that," Corey yelled at him, her voice breaking with emotion. A.J. quickly got over the shock, realization hitting him and he didn't try to stop the smile from growing on his lips.

"And I know you don't love me anymore, and that I blew it, but if you don't go to art school and understand how special you are, then you know nothing!" she finished, shoving him back again as he rose to stand in front of her again, although this time he didn't fall back.

"And I still love you!" Corey screamed at him again. "And I'll never love anybody as much as you and I hate you!" she continued to scream, smacking him lightly as he tried to stifle his laughter and the pure elation in his heart.

"Corey! Corey!" A.J. tried to get a word in around the screaming, grasping her arms trying to still her. "I quit," he continued, which finally did the trick in stilling her. "I'm going to art school. In Boston, so I can be near you," A.J. spoke happily, his happiness fading into content, as Corey searched his gaze for the truth.

Suddenly he was nearly blinded by her brilliant smile, her hand coming up to brush her brunette locks away from her face to see him more clearly. "Really?" she chirped happily, in complete disbelief. A.J. nodded, his mind much more focused on finally kissing her for the first time.

He felt a heavy weight in moment later, only to discover Corey had nearly fainted, throwing all her weight on him to stop her fall and he caught her easily and without another thought. He swung her around a circle and they danced haphazardly for a few steps, basking in the happiness of being this close to one another. Then he placed he gingerly back on her feet and stared deeply into her brown eyes. This was the moment. A.J. took a breath and leaned in, the same moment that Corey did. Fireworks blew behind his closed eyelids as a warmth he never knew existed flooded his entire body. Holding Corey close and kissing her, having her return that soft kiss perfectly, was a moment so wonderful he could never have dreamed it or explained it if he tried.

A.J. didn't know how long they stood there, kissing and holding each other, but eventually the rest of the group joined them on the roof. They cheerfully danced the rest of the night away around the newly happy couple. Warren and Gina jammed out, Lucas waltzed with Deb, even Betty and Jughead pulled out some moves, until Veronica and Joe cut in to show everyone how it was done.

After awhile A.J. and Corey let each other go and the whole crew danced together, the girls forming a haphazard train, the boys twirling each other around to their endless entertainment. Even Lucas busted some moves with Marc and Eric in tow. For the rest of that night, the empire Records family danced until the bright lights of their roof top sign, without a care in the world.

Because damn the man. They saved the Empire.


End file.
